The Attorney General, Kiryowa Kiwanuka, and his team have made impressive strides in defending the government’s interests, securing victories in 311 cases in 2024, saving the government a substantial UGX 2.8 trillion.
However, they also faced setbacks, losing 101 cases worth UGX 179.4 billion.
This revelation came from Robert Kasande, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice & Constitutional Affairs, during a session with the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee. Kasande was briefing Members of Parliament (MPs) on the Ministry’s performance in the Civil Litigation Directorate as part of discussions on the 2025/26 Budget Framework Paper.
Kasande shared that the Ministry had initially planned to handle 1,239 cases in Courts, Tribunals, and Commissions but ended up representing the government in a total of 1,768 cases, including 329 backlog cases and 63 human rights cases.
While the government had anticipated handling 280 Constitutional Petitions, Appeals, and Applications, they successfully managed 418 cases, of which 311 were won, resulting in the UGX 2.8 trillion saved for the government. However, the 101 cases lost cost the government UGX 179.4 billion.
Kasande also highlighted the team’s efforts in defending the government in 180 Constitutional Petitions, Appeals, and Applications at the East African Community Court of Justice.
Despite the impressive performance, Jonathan Odur, the MP for Erute South, raised concerns about the government’s ability to recover the money saved from the successful cases. He pointed out that while the government has won many cases, it is often private individuals who are more eager to enforce their wins and recover their claims from the government.
Odur questioned, “You have won so many cases, are you actually earning from that effort? People have taken you to court, you have lost, for them, they are enforcing, and you have to pay them. We would like to have the figures. I don’t know whether you treat it as Non-Tax Revenue in accounting, but of the many cases the government has won, have you followed up to recover the funds?”