11 High Court judges rendered unemployed as contracts expire

Eleven High Court judges have found themselves without jobs after their two-year contracts recently lapsed our reporter has learnt.

Several of the affected judges have since returned their case files to their supervisors as they await further instructions from relevant authorities, including President Museveni, who holds the appointing power.

Among the judges affected is Justice Rosette Comfort Kania, Deputy Chairperson of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).

Other affected judges include Flavia Nabakooza, Dr Christine Echookit Akello, Jacqueline Mwondha, Aisha Naluzze Batala, Emily Patience Tumusiime Rubagumya, Farouq Lubega, Jamson Karemani Karemera (formerly the Judiciary spokesperson), David Makumbi,   Amos Kwizera, and   Philip Willbrod Mwaka.

When our reporter reached out to Dr Rose Nassali, the secretary of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), for comment on the fate of the 11n judges, she stated that the matter was now in the hands of the appointing authority (President Museveni), awaiting action to regularize their contracts.

In December 2022, the Constitutional Court ruled that appointing High Court judges in an “acting capacity” for extended periods, such as two years, are unconstitutional.

The court found that such appointments violated the constitutional principle of judicial security of tenure and amounted to unconstitutional probationary appointments.

However, the government appealed the decision, and the matter is now before the Supreme Court, which has yet to issue a final ruling on the constitutionality of appointing judges on a contract basis.