Chief Justice closes Supreme Court Chambers over Safety Concerns

KAMPALA, UGANDA: The Chief Justice of Uganda who is also the head of Uganda’s judiciary has announced an indefinite closure of Supreme Court chambers in Kampala citing safety concerns following a recent fire outbreak that destroyed part of the court premises.

The fire incident which happened on 27th April 2022 at the premises housing the Supreme Court at Kololo destroyed part of the Chief Justice’s chambers although no causality was reported.

Chief Justice Alphonse Owiny Dollo announced in a memo dated Monday, May 30, that due to the water leakages resulting in the collapse of the ceilings, and water flooding in the chambers of the justices, furniture, and other court properties have been left destroyed hence the suspension of court operations until further notice.

“These incidents have made it unsafe to continue in occupation of the said premises without a proper assessment of the damage and effecting appropriate rectification. The landlord has been duly notified to assess and rectify the defects. For these reasons, the top management of the Judiciary has decided, and I hereby direct that the supreme Court be closed as the premises undergo renovations and rectification of defects,” said CJ Dollo in the memo copied to the Principal Judge, DPP, among others.

“In the meantime, you are all advised to execute your work from home until further notice” he adds in the memo.

In the meantime, CJ Dollo noted that the court registry and the ECCMIS center will remain open to handle the usual business of the court. And while the court remains closed, the memo indicates that the coury administrator shall ensure that the justice on duty shall operate from the High Court building at the judiciary headquarters.

He further noted that the Justices on duty shall operate from the High Court building at the judiciary headquarters in Kampala as other Justices wait to be notified when full-court operation shall resume upon issuance of a certificate by the responsible authorities that the premises are safe for ovulation.

The Supreme Court is located at Plot 10 Upper Kololo along Seenu Awasthi Terrace. It is the highest court of the land and basically has only appellate jurisdiction which makes it stand out at the top of the judicial pyramid as a final court of Appeal in Uganda.