Judicial wellness will take centre stage next week as judges from across the country gather in Kampala for a week-long conference aimed at addressing work-related stress and improving the delivery of justice.
Justice Mike Chibita, the chairperson of the Governing Council of the Judicial Training Institute (JTI), said the conference comes at a time when judges are operating under immense pressure arising from heavy case backlogs and heightened public scrutiny.
Speaking at a media briefing ahead of the conference, Justice Chibita said judges handle numerous cases, often under toxic and demanding conditions, making wellness a critical issue for the Judiciary.
“The Ugandan Judiciary is operating under a high case backlog and heightened scrutiny. These high figures suggest that a judge has to be healthy. Judicial wellness, therefore, comes in at this point,” Justice Chibita said.
He added that a healthy and supported mind enables judges to exercise sound judgment and withstand pressure, especially in high-stakes cases such as presidential election petitions.
“A healthy and supported mind exercises sound judgment and can withstand pressure. So the discussions will be about burnout,” he explained.
Justice Chibita noted that judges regularly handle distressing criminal cases, including rape and murder, which can have lasting psychological effects.
“Judicial wellness is not about slowing down justice but ensuring better delivery of justice,” he said, adding that a healthy judge is better positioned to hear cases attentively, write well-reasoned judgments, and dispose of matters more efficiently than a fatigued judicial officer.
Speaking at the same briefing, the Executive Director of the Judicial Training Institute, Justice Andrew Khaukha, said judges, like professionals in other fields, require wellness support to effectively serve the public.
“The stress that a judge gets when doing his or her work isn’t any different from that experienced by others,” Justice Khaukha said.
“Just like journalists who cover situations involving tear gas canisters and are left traumatised and in need of wellness support, judges too go through work-related stresses,” he added.
Justice Khaukha said the conference will also tackle several topical issues, including Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) vis-à-vis formal justice, the use of technology-particularly artificial intelligence-in legal processes, and the effective handling of election petitions.
“Regarding election petitions, we are in a season of handling them. Discussions will include how a judge manages crowds, time and emotions in the courtroom,” he said.
The forum will run from February 2 to 4 at Speke Resort Munyonyo under the theme “Judicial Wellness: A Tool for Effective Case Management.” It will be officially opened by President Museveni and will be preceded by the opening of the New Law Year on Friday.