New Supreme and Court of Appeal buildings commissioned

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has commissioned two Appellate Court twin buildings to host the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal which have been in rented premises since Independence.

The buildings located in the middle of Kampala at Plot 2 were commissioned on Thursday.

President Museveni said he was very happy that the buildings were constructed using the government of Uganda’s money and not a loan from foreign countries.

He said this proves what the National Resistance Movement told them from the beginning there is nothing they can’t do when they learn to prioritize and avoid touching so many things.

Museveni appreciated the fact that the Judiciary is a peace maker and when they adjudicate, they bring peace in place and production hence contributing greatly to the economic development.

Museveni promised to invite the Chief Justice for a discussion on their priorities too as the Judiciary and issues of limited budget constraints.

Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo Chigamoy described the achievement as a historic milestone in the Judiciary of Uganda stating that the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court since 1967 had no homes.

He narrated that they used to operate in the old building of the High Court and then later on went to Mengo, then to Kololo, then Wandegeya before getting a home now in the heart of Kampala City.

Owiny-Dollo said that over the years, the  Supreme Court has been wandering like a rogue and vagabond.

He appealed to the President to increase the budget of the Judiciary to make it 800 billion shillings such that they can recruit more judges, especially at the High Court and also promote Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms such as mediation reconciliation and arbitration.

According to the Chief Justice Owiny-Dollo, with these spectacular structures in place, it will save the taxpayers approximately 6 billion shillings that was being spent on rent for the two courts annually.

With these new temples in place which were fully funded by the Government of Uganda and constructed by Seyani Brothers and Company Uganda Limited and Parbat Siyani Construction Limited, the Judiciary has reiterated its commitment to efficiently and effectively administer justice for all.

In September 2019, adverts were made in newspapers and MS Seyani Brothers and Co.(U) Limited and Parbat Siyani Construction Limited won the contract amounting to 63 billion shillings.

This was for the Civil works mainly while fire fighting, heating ventilation, Air Conditioners, and Information and communication Technology were brought in later, bringing the contract price to 115 billion shillings which is the total cost of constructing the Buildings.

According to the Judiciary Permanent Secretary Dr. Pius Bigirimana, the magnificent buildings are meticulously planned to meet the diverse needs of not only it’s occupants but also the court users .

He said, the superstructure buildings  have better rooms including courtrooms hosting 150 Court users, conference halls, parking space, chambers for  saunas, breastfeeding rooms for babies, gyms saunas with a good conducive environment for the Judges to execute their Judicial work properly.

On his part,  the Deputy Chief Justice Richard Buteera has appreciated the government of Uganda for fully funding the construction projects. He said that he has now been relieved of the Twed Towers building where his office used to be on top of a bar and a restaurant which were not a good environment to decide cases from.

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