The Judiciary is the third arm of Government, under the doctrine of separation of powers. The Lord Chief Justice deputized by a Lord Deputy Chief Justice heads the Judiciary. The superior courts of Uganda are the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, and the High Court. The Constitution Court sits whenever necessary.

Judicial independence is the concept that the judiciary should be independent of the other branches of government. That is, courts should not be subject to improper influence from the other branches of government or from private or partisan interests.

Under this project, CEPIL Undertakes a Judicial Scorecard Initiative across various courts in the country. The Judiciary’s mandate is found in Article 126 (1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda:

“Judicial Power is derived from the people and it shall be exercised by the Courts established under this Constitution in the name of the people and in conformity with the law and with values, norms and aspirations of the people.”

We strongly feel that the Judicial Scorecard is one of the mechanisms of ensuring that the Judiciary is accountable for its performance to the people of Uganda on the exercise of its constitutional mandate.

This scorecard together with the performance enhancement tool under consideration by the Judiciary seeks to provide some action points to help the Judiciary to achieve its stated mission: “To be an independent, competent, trusted and accountable Judiciary that administers justice to all.”