By Elijah Khisa
Members of the Uganda Survivors Network (USN) under International Justice Mission (IJM) Uganda have urged the Judiciary to strengthen grassroots community sensitisation programmes on justice and inclusion to increase access to and uptake of justice services.
Agwalo Mary, a member of the USN Karamoja Chapter under IJM Uganda, representing Amudat District, commended the Judiciary for giving survivors and members of the public an opportunity to engage directly with judicial officials.
Agwalo made the remarks on Thursday, September 10, 2026, during an open session between justices from different appellate courts and members of the public at the Kololo Independence Grounds.
The session was part of the 3rd National Courts Open Day 2026, held under the theme, “Delivering Inclusive, Efficient and Effective Justice.” The event provided an opportunity for judicial stakeholders to interact with members of the public and discuss how court users can benefit from justice services in a timely and effective manner.
Agwalo said connecting rural communities with judicial institutions and providing them with vital information about court processes helps empower them to understand, appreciate and utilise available justice services.
“By connecting with judicial bodies to share vital information and knowledge about judicial processes, we are empowered as rural communities to understand and appreciate such dialogue,” she said.
On behalf of USN regional chapters, Agwalo also commended IJM Uganda leadership, led by Country Director Wamaitha Kimani, for building the capacity of survivor groups across the country and bringing them together under one national umbrella.
She said the initiative aims to enhance collaboration, influence policy and drive systemic change to ensure that justice and protection for vulnerable women and children are upheld.
The Principal Judge, Justice Jane Francis Abodo, pledged the Judiciary’s continued commitment to strengthening collaboration between courts and the public by addressing existing bottlenecks and improving service delivery to citizens.
Justice Abodo made the remarks during the 3rd National Courts Open Day.
The event brought together key stakeholders in the Justice, Law and Order Sector (JLOS), including justices from different appellate courts, registrars, judicial officers, government departments and agencies, as well as civil society organisations.
Among the participating institutions were the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC), Law Development Centre (LDC), Justice Centres Uganda, Uganda Law Society, Uganda Prisons Service, Uganda Police Force and commercial banks, among other stakeholders in the justice value chain.
The objective of the engagement was to obtain feedback from the public on the progress and quality of judicial services offered by different judicial bodies as part of efforts to improve service delivery.
The Judiciary’s Communications Officer, His Worship James Ereemye Mawanda, told reporters on the sidelines of the event that the Judiciary had deployed dozens of justices to various regions of the country to handle election petitions.
Mawanda said that effective Monday, September 14, 2026, a selected team of justices would be deployed to different regions to begin hearing the 2026 election petitions.
He said all regional Resident Judges had been temporarily deployed outside their respective areas of jurisdiction to handle the petitions until the cases are concluded, after which they will return to their duty stations.
According to Mawanda, the Judiciary will handle a total of 118 election petitions across the country, covering parliamentary and district local government positions, including Local Council levels from LC1 to LC5.
He said the exercise is expected to run for six months until all the petitions are conclusively handled.
Meanwhile, the Communications Officer in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), Jackie Okwui, thanked the Judiciary for hosting the interactive dialogue with consumers of justice, saying it gave the ODPP an opportunity to explain its services to the public.
Okwui said continued engagement with the public strengthens collaboration, builds trust and confidence, and promotes greater appreciation and utilisation of judicial services.
The interactive session allowed members of the public to freely ask justices direct questions relating to court proceedings, litigation and access to justice.
