Kisoro Chief Magistrate Raises Concern Over Absence of State Attorneys at Cyanika and Bunagana Courts

The Chief Magistrate of Kisoro, His Worship Patrick Bamuhiga, has raised concerns over the lack of Resident State Attorneys at Cyanika and Bunagana Grade One Courts, a situation he says has contributed to a growing backlog of cases in the Kisoro magisterial area.

Bamuhiga made the remarks during a visit by the Chief Justice, Flavian Zeija, who held an interaction meeting with judicial officers and district leaders at the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Kisoro.

He revealed that a total of 410 cases remain pending across the magisterial area, with four backlog cases, despite 142 cases having been accomplished by March 31, 2026.

Bamuhiga cited key challenges affecting justice delivery, including the absence of deployed State Attorneys at Cyanika and Bunagana Grade One Courts, noting that although three State Attorneys are stationed at the Chief Magistrate’s Court, the two lower courts effectively handle mostly civil cases.

He also highlighted the lack of remand homes for juveniles, forcing authorities to transport them to facilities in Kabale—a challenge worsened by inadequate transport, leading to congestion in prisons.

He called for the deployment of more State Attorneys to Grade One Courts to reduce prolonged remand periods and ease prison congestion.

Meanwhile, Kisoro District Vice Chairperson Alex Nambajimana commended the judiciary for promoting decentralization, saying it has improved access to justice by reducing transport costs for residents. He urged authorities to advance the establishment of a Grade One Magistrate’s Court in Rubuguri, citing the area’s difficult terrain.

Permanent Secretary to judiciary in Uganda Pius Bigirimana praised the Chief Justice’s commitment to timely justice delivery and assured stakeholders that plans to operationalize the Rubuguri Grade One Court are underway.

Meanwhile the Resident Judge of the Kabale High Court Justice Karoli Lwanga Ssemogerere highlighted a problem of land cases in Kisoro district which is on high demand across the district which poses challenges to judiciary in solving such cases hence appealing to the ministry of lands to establish an office in Kisoro to help manage land issues in the district

In his remarks, Chief Justice Flavian Zeija urged judicial officers in Kisoro to optimize available resources as government addresses the raised concerns at the national level. He reaffirmed ongoing plans to decentralize judicial services and improve access to justice, including the construction of a Grade One Court in Rubuguri Town Council.