Uganda Urges Traders to Embrace Mediation for Business Disputes

The Ugandan judiciary is actively promoting mediation as a primary method for resolving commercial disputes, urging traders and businesses to explore this avenue before resorting to lengthy court proceedings.

Principal Judge Jane Frances Abodo emphasized that protracted litigation consumes valuable resources, stalls projects, and can damage essential business relationships. Mediation, she noted, offers a more effective route to practical solutions that preserve these relationships, allowing businesses to move forward.

“Settlement is not a lesser form of justice; it’s justice achieved differently, and often, I must say, in a more effective way,” stated PJ Abodo during the launch of a two-week mediation drive at the Commercial Court in Kampala. This initiative is specifically targeting cases involving trade, construction, and corporations.

The drive, running from August 17 to August 28, aims to resolve 520 pending disputes. These cases represent an estimated Shs325 billion currently tied up in the commercial litigation system. The judiciary also hopes this effort will significantly reduce the current backlog of 1,424 cases within these categories.

Justice Andrew Khaukha, Executive Director of the Judicial Training Institute, commended the judiciary’s focus on mediation, highlighting its importance in tackling case backlogs. He also underscored the vital role traders play in Uganda’s economy, noting that trade contributes approximately 35 percent of the Uganda Revenue Authority’s collections.

The head of the Commercial Court, Justice Anna Mugenyi, expressed optimism about the mediation drive’s success, confirming the court’s readiness to implement the program. Current statistics from the Commercial Division indicate a substantial caseload, with 7,480 pending cases, including 1,250 related to trade, 85 to corporations, and 89 to construction.

For more details, visit: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/traders-urged-to-settle-disputes-through-mediation-as-court-drive-kicks-off-5560832