Zeija takes over as Deputy Chief Justice

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The newly appointed Deputy Chief Justice, Dr Flavian Zeija, has today, April 30, 2025, officially assumed office at a colourful ceremony held at the Supreme Court conference hall in Kampala.

In his maiden speech after assuming office, Zeija said that top of his agenda is discarding the practice by the Court of Appeal of putting judgments on notice without giving a specific date for their delivery, which he said leaves the litigants in suspense. The Deputy Chief Justice is the head of the Court of Appeal.

Newly appointed Deputy Chief Justice, Dr Flavian Zeija. (Credit: Mpalanyi Ssentongo)

“When I appeared in Parliament for vetting, the legal department of Parliament petitioned me about the practice of putting judgments on notice without giving a specific date. They said that when we don’t give them certainty of when to deliver our judgments, it leaves them in suspense, and I think it is a problem we shall have to deal with. We shall have to discuss this because I agree with them. By the way, when you give a date, it puts you under pressure to deliver the judgment, and it helps us to deal with the case backlog. Delivery of judgments should be within 60 days,” Zeija said.

Many lawyers have complained about this practice, arguing that it not only frustrates access to justice but also provides a fertile avenue for corruption.

Zeija also said he intends to push for the creation of divisions within the Court of Appeal like those at the High Court so that the justices can be strictly posted in a given division, as against the current practice where cases are randomly allocated.

In the long term, Zeija said he wants to ensure the establishment of the Court of Appeal in every region across the country.

“As the Principal Judge, I have been struggling to acquire land for the regional Court of Appeal but we have only managed to secure land in Mbarara, Gulu and Tororo, yet our vision is to have the regional Court of Appeal at Arua, Soroti, Jinja, Masaka, Fort Portal and Masindi among others,” Zeija said. 

Zeija said his other priorities include introducing a trash board to monitor the performance of the justices and promoting virtual hearings of cases to avoid unnecessary delays in the administration of justice.

Zeija also underscored the need to prioritise the constitutional and election matters by the Appellate court.

He said there is also a need for the Court to deal with the conflicting decisions concerning similar cases.

Zeija commended his predecessor, Justice Richard Buteera, for his exemplary and courageous leadership and wished him a happy retirement. Buteera clocked the retirement age of 70 on April 9 this year.

Zeija also underscored the need for the Judiciary to up its game, saying if Uganda is to achieve Vision 2040, the judiciary has to up its game.

In regard to the staffing gap, Zeija said they intend to have five justices appointed every year until they reach the approved number of 35 for the court. Currently, the court has 21 justices.

Deputy Chief Justice Emeritus, Richard Buteera (right), hands over office to the new DCJ, Dr Flavian Zeija, at the Supreme Court main hall in Kampala. (Credit: Mpalanyi Ssentongo)

Deputy Chief Justice Emeritus Richard Buteera. (Credit: Mpalanyi Ssentongo)

In his handover speech, Buteera congratulated Zeija upon his appointment and implored him to embrace collegiality for him to succeed.

“I have had the pleasure of working with you as a member of the top management of the Judiciary, and we were happy for your appointment. I think it will therefore be easy for the top management to continue with the transformation agenda that we have embarked on,” Buteera said.

Buteera also thanked President Yoweri Museveni for giving him the opportunity to serve for the last 45 years, saying he will remain heavily indebted to him.

Buteera underscored the need for the Court of Appeal to continue with the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism, saying they are key in dealing with the case backlog.

In regard to the pending cases before the court, Buteera said civil appeals are 7,276, with 3,082 categorised as backlog, while criminal appeals are 4,456, with 2,738 categorised as backlog.

When it comes to constitutional matters, Buteera said there are 168 pending cases with 68 categorised as backlog.

Buteera said he had come up with a work plan for the court, and it is now up to Zeija to either adopt it or modify it.

Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo (R), hands over instruments of power to the new Deputy CJ, Dr Flavian Zeija. (Credit: Mpalanyi Ssentongo)

Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo. (Credit: Mpalanyi Ssentongo)

Presiding over the handover ceremony, Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo, implored Zeija to embrace the spirit of collegiality as he takes on the mantle, promising to offer him support as he has been doing.

Owiny-Dollo thanked Buteera for the work well done. Owiny-Dollo said Buteera has been his cooler in tense situations.

Justice Geoffrey Kiryabwire, the administrator of the Court of Appeal, underscored the need to formalise the duties of both the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court administrators to enhance service delivery.

Citing the case concerning the demolition of the Ndeeba church, Kiryabwire warned against rushed justice, saying sometimes justice hurried can be justice buried.

Cake cutting to celebrate the moment. (Credit: Mpalanyi Ssentongo)

Who is Zeija

Born on February 18, 1969, Zeija holds a Bachelor of Laws from Makerere University, a Masters of Laws degree also from Makerere University and a degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Law from the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.

He started out in 1998 as a legal assistant with Kwesigabo, Bamwine, Walubiri and Company Advocates. Before joining the judiciary in 2016, Zeija served as the managing partner at Zeija, Mukasa and Company Advocates. In 2019, he was appointed the Principal Judge and served in the position until early this year when he was appointed the Deputy Chief Justice.