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Chief Justice Dr Flavian Zeija has urged judicial officers to embrace peer supervision as a way of addressing absenteeism, poor performance and other professional shortcomings before they escalate into formal disciplinary action.

Dr Zeija was speaking on Wednesday at the Supreme Court Conference Hall in Kampala during the launch of peer committees within the Judiciary.

The committees are established under Regulations 18 to 21 of the Administration of the Judiciary (Inspectorate of Courts) Regulations, 2023, and are intended to enable judicial officers to advise, counsel and support colleagues whose conduct or performance falls below expected professional standards.

Dr Zeija said peer supervision should strengthen integrity, accountability, professional discipline and public confidence in the Judiciary.

He said reforms introduced under the Administration of the Judiciary Act, 2020, including an increase in the number of judicial officers, improved terms of service and strengthened institutional capacity, have also raised public expectations of the Judiciary.

However, he said his visits to courts across the country had revealed cases of absenteeism, poor performance and conduct inconsistent with the judicial code of conduct.

Dr Zeija cited a visit to Amudat, where he said he found a judicial officer who had reportedly been away from court for about a month and had left the court keys with a cleaner at the State Attorney’s chambers.

He also recalled instances where court users had become accustomed to judicial officers reporting late for work, with some magistrates reportedly arriving at court around midday.

The Chief Justice said such conduct delays the administration of justice and undermines public confidence in the Judiciary.

He said peer committees should allow judicial officers to intervene early when they notice a colleague struggling with professional, personal or other challenges.

“Peer committees should not be used for witch-hunting, victimisation or gossip,” Dr Zeija said, urging members to use them as a mechanism for counselling, professional support and accountability.

He cited alcohol and drug abuse as examples of challenges that may require treatment and support rather than immediate disciplinary action.

Dr Zeija said colleagues are often better placed to identify such problems and encourage affected judicial officers to seek help, particularly where an officer may fear that admitting to a problem could expose them to disciplinary action.

He also urged the committees to pay attention to the mental health and general wellbeing of judicial officers, saying personal stress and other challenges can affect professional performance and decision-making.

The Chief Justice warned that corruption, laziness and chronic absenteeism damage the reputation of the entire Judiciary.

He said judicial officers are often the first to know when a colleague is regularly absent or failing to meet performance targets and should therefore play an active role in addressing such conduct.

However, Dr Zeija cautioned members of the peer committees to lead by example.

He said committee members cannot effectively correct colleagues for misconduct while engaging in similar behaviour themselves.

He directed the committees to identify performance gaps and training needs, organise appropriate training and keep records of their activities.

Dr Zeija said he expects the committees to submit comprehensive quarterly reports on their activities and results.

Justice Stephen Musota, the Chief Inspector of Courts, said the committees were constituted in February 2026 and bring together judicial officers of the same rank and geographical location.

He said the committees are intended to strengthen collegiality, accountability and mentorship by providing judicial officers with a structured platform to share experiences, address professional challenges and maintain high standards of conduct and performance.

Justice Musota said the initiative would reinforce discipline and ethical practice while promoting fairness, efficiency and integrity in the administration of justice.

Lady Justice Monica Mugenyi, Chairperson of the Judiciary Integrity Committee, said the idea of peer committees dates back to the Sixth Annual Judges’ Conference held in January 2003, when the Judiciary resolved to strengthen judicial integrity and accountability.

She said the initiative has now been formally institutionalised under the 2023 regulations.

Justice Mugenyi emphasised that the committees are not disciplinary bodies or “grilling chambers”, but platforms for ethical oversight, professional accountability and mentorship.

She said the committees will advise colleagues on judicial integrity, independence and professional conduct, support judicial officers facing case-management challenges and promote their wellbeing and collegiality.

Under the regulations, each peer committee should have no more than seven Judiciary staff members of the same rank and geographical location, including a chairperson and secretary.

Their responsibilities include counselling colleagues whose conduct is considered unbecoming, guiding judicial officers on appropriate professional conduct, promoting integrity, holding meetings, submitting reports and making recommendations to the Registrar and Inspectorate of Courts.

The committees are also required to encourage judicial officers to uphold the relevant codes of conduct and may perform other duties assigned by the Chief Inspector of Courts.

The Judiciary expects the initiative to contribute to reducing case backlogs, strengthening institutional integrity and improving public confidence in the justice system.

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The demise of star playwright, actor, singer, media man and cultural icon, Alex Mukulu, has occasioned something extraordinary that should shape Uganda sociopolitical sphere going forward. The acerbic actor was granted an official burial, complete with a gun salute. No one saw this coming, as the saying goes. 

The reclusive and aloof veteran of Ugandan stage and social commentary was an apologetic critic of President Yoweri Museveni and the NRM government, something that endeared him to a cross section of the Ugandan public that mourned him. Clips of him tearing into the regime’s skin with notable contempt and self-assurance were among the last rites accorded him in the public sphere in memory of his artistry and social commentary. Nowhere have I seen anything flattering that he said about the current government and its leader. But Mukulu got his gun salute, a rare honour that eludes many even in NRM. 

Why did President Museveni honour someone who was a sworn critic, who even stated on one tv show that he would rather die than appreciate the Uganda leader? Let’s refer back to last year when Justice Prof. George Kanyeihamba died.

Kanyeihamba was one of the most vitriolic critics of the president, despite having been part of his cabinet in the early years. In 2001, when Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye first challenged Museveni for the powerful seat, his contest ended in court after losing the election. Kanyeihamba was among the justices that ruled in favour of annulling Museveni’s victory. It was the same story in 2006. 

In 2021, Kanyeihamba, though elderly and won out, supported NUP’s Robert Kyagulanyi and remained vocal in opposition to the NRM. In the early days, the President would often respond to the Kanyeihamba’s attacks but had long stopped doing so, letting the old man from Kigezi be. But when death came knocking, the President eulogized Kanyeihamba and even paid the family a visit in their Bunga home. He  praised the deceased as a “patriotic intellectual and a key figure who supported politics of interest over identity politics.” The Head-Of-State granted an official burial.

There was also the case of Maj. John Kazoora; when the former NRA war fighter and former Member of Parliament for Kashaari County died (still last year), it emerged that his former boss (Museveni) had been quietly supporting him during the time of his illness and had also supported his elderly mother in Rutooma. Kazoora was a sworn critic of the President who even put his disillusionment with his bushwar overall commander in a book titled: “Betrayed by my leader”. 

These are just two examples. I have reason to guess that the President is in touch with many more figures that outwardly oppose him. If there is any take away from this it is that for Museveni, politics and state duty are distinctly separate from human relations. That there is a boundary to disagree or “fight” politically or otherwise but in times of need or sorrow, earthly matters go one side. Isn’t that how it should be?

Unfortunately, the sphere is populated by people who have been totally taken up by political differences that even in death and tragedy they are merciless, unconcerned and full of disdain. They even celebrate when someone they didn’t agree with or belong in the same group dies. 

Deputy Presidential Press Secretary, Kirunda Faruk, in one of his articles, stated that in Busoga there is a tendency to carry political rivalry beyond the grave. That one is hated and fought when alive, hated when dead, the hatred is carried over to his family and even the legacy. If they have started any development project in the area, the successors or rivals will ensure that it dies with him or her so as to bury the dead person’s name with the body. There is another regular critic of the President who even hates the schools he attended. Things can get so native to that extent! More on this in future!

Kirunda also says that among the traits he knows about President Museveni is that he can never shed innocent blood or victimise an innocent person where some others will not hesitate to spill blood or betray anyone, anywhere, anytime without remorse or second thought. 

Back to Mukulu: it is not new for the President to reconcile with or show mercy to a critic (and that’s likely his truest, unchanging nature) but at a time when political differences are heading over from orange to red, few expected this gesture to Mukulu, who, unlike Kenyeihamba and Kazoora, had never served in political office or the public sector. The President went out of his way across the divide to honour a man simply for being a human being and a notable citizen who contributed to nation in his own way. The human spirit and a shared sense of patriotism prevailed over simple dissimilarities of political choice and civic expression. If anyone wasn’t moved by the President’s gesture and their extra sense opened to reconsider their own attitudes and assumptions, then that person is misplaced in leadership and politics at large. Political differences are not personal or eternal differences! 

The writer is a promoter of African Integration and CEO Friends of the Media International 

 

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Club Guvnor is giving Kampala partygoers another reason to make plans for September, with a one week flash sale now offering discounted tickets to the much anticipated Serendipity Summer Splash Street Party.

From today until August 31, revelers can purchase tickets for Shs50,000, saving Shs20,000 off the regular online early bird price of Shs70,000.

The street party is scheduled for Sunday, September 13, outside Club Guvnor Streetside, where the surrounding industrial area will be transformed into an outdoor entertainment zone running from daytime into the early hours of the following morning.

The biggest draw on the lineup will be international dancehall and soca star Kevin Lyttle, the voice behind the global hit Turn Me On. His appearance is expected to give the Kampala party a distinctly Caribbean flavour as he brings his energetic live show to the event.

For those who miss the flash sale, online tickets will return to Shs70,000 after August 31, while tickets at the gate will cost Shs150,000. Tables are going for Shs2m.

Tickets are being sold through Quicket Uganda.

With the discounted offer available for only one week, organisers are encouraging partygoers to secure their spots early before prices return to normal.