Parliament has, at last, approved the long-anticipated Judicature Amendment Bill of 2023, rejecting the government’s suggestion to raise the number of Justices at the Supreme Court from 11 to 21, Chief Justice included.
Nevertheless, the House has consented to augmenting the number of Justices at the Court of Appeal from 15 to 35, encompassing the Deputy Chief Justice. This decision comes with a directive for the government to appoint judges to the vacant positions in the judiciary.
During Wednesday’s parliamentary session, presided over by Speaker Anita Among, the processing of the Judicature Amendment Bill 2023 commenced. In the report presented by the Chairperson of the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, Robinah Rwakoojo, the committee proposed the removal of clause 1 from the bill, thereby maintaining the current number of Justices at the Supreme Court at 11, including the Chief Justice.
Despite Minister for Justice Nobert Mao’s plea to increase the number of Supreme Court Justices to at least 15, deviating from the government’s initial proposal of 21, MPs insisted on keeping the number unchanged.
However, legislators advised the Judiciary to institute a court sieving system at the Supreme Court to review cases before filing. They also urged the government to reassess the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, ensuring it only handles legal matters.
Additionally, the House recommended increasing the number of Justices at the Court of Appeal but reducing the government’s proposal from 56 to 35, including the Deputy Chief Justice. Consequently, the Justices at the Court of Appeal have now been elevated from 11 to 35, Deputy Chief Justice included.
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