Uganda’s Judiciary says it resolved more than 19,000 small claims worth nearly Shs5 billion in the 2024/2025 financial year, an outcome senior officials say demonstrates the growing impact of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in easing pressure on the country’s courts.

According to the Judiciary’s Annual Performance Report, a total of 19,211 small claims were concluded, enabling the recovery of Shs4.63 billion without a single full hearing.

Principal Judge Lady Justice Jane Abodo said the results underline the importance of ADR and the Small Claims Procedure in reducing congestion and accelerating justice delivery.

“As judicial officers, the most powerful tools to decongest courts are the Small Claims Procedure and plea bargaining. These mechanisms save time, reduce costs, and deliver justice faster for ordinary Ugandans,” she said on Saturday.

She made the remarks while addressing judicial officers attending training in judgment writing, criminal and civil trial procedures, active case management, and ADR at the Judicial Training Institute (JTI) in Kampala.

Despite the gains, the caseload remains heavy. As of October, courts across the High Court and Magistrates’ Courts were handling a backlog of 39,000 cases.

“These are not just numbers, they represent human lives on hold. A land case filed in 2018 should not be getting its first hearing in 2025. An accused person should not spend five years on remand for an offence whose maximum sentence is seven years,” Justice Abodo said.

She called on judicial officers to adopt an “ADR mindset,” examining every case for settlement potential from the moment it is filed, before committing it to lengthy trial processes. She said court-annexed mediation, plea bargaining and Settlement Fortnight should become central to service delivery across all stations.

“Real value for money is measured in cases that end in mediation, plea bargains, consent judgments, or well-reasoned judgments. When we do these things consistently, backlogs will reduce, public confidence will grow, and we will have delivered justice to Ugandans,” she said.

Justice Andrew Khuaka, Executive of the Judicial Training Institute, said the ongoing national training is intended to strengthen knowledge of amendments to the Civil Procedure Rules, which were updated in 2019.

“The rules introduced innovative measures on representation, case management procedures, considerations for representative actions, and summonses for directions, all aimed at modernising the Judiciary,” Justice Khuaka said.

He added: “The rules also enhance the powers of registrars, giving them more authority to manage cases efficiently. The training is intended to familiarise judicial officers across the country with these rules and ensure their effective application.”

Justice Khuaka said the reforms are designed to shorten timelines for case disposal and improve efficiency, aligning judicial practice with the constitutional mandate to resolve cases expeditiously.