The Judiciary of the Republic of Uganda has officially launched the long-awaited construction of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal buildings at the Judiciary headquarters in Kampala.
Plans for this project emerged back in 1999 and have since moved through many stages including the use of Public-Private Partnership. The project will be fully funded by the Government of Uganda at a cost of approximately US $17.3m and is expected to take about 24 months to complete.
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An overview of the project
Contracted to Seyani International Company Limited, a Class “A+” General Building Contractor, the project entails construction of a seven-storey twin tower with two basement floor parking for up to 226 vehicles. One building will serve as the Supreme Court building and the other as the Court of Appeal building.
The Court of Appeal building will have 20 chambers for Justices, five Board rooms, four Court halls, three Registries and three chambers for the Registrars. The Supreme Court building will house 12 Chambers for Justices, three Court halls, three Chambers for Registrars and three Registries amongst others. The buildings will above all, have a gym, a restaurant, and other social amenities.
Significance of the project
According to Chief Justice, Bart M. Katureebe the project is in line with the Millennium Development Goals, the Country’s Vision 2040 and the Strategic Investment plan of the Judiciary and JLOS, all geared towards the Social and Economic Transformation of the East African country.
On the other hand Judiciary’s Permanent Secretary, Pius Bigirimana, said that the project is meant to rebuild the image of the Judiciary and gain its rightful position as a critical Arm of Government. He added that upon completion, the building is expected to save the judiciary at least US $1.6m paid annually in rent for the appellate courts.
