Uganda High Court Settles Shs20bn in Commercial Disputes via Mediation
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TL;DR
- Uganda's Commercial Court held a 60-day mediation exercise.
- 64 commercial disputes were settled, totaling over Shs20 billion.
- Mediation addressed trade, corporate, and construction cases.
- Challenges included backlog and incomplete case screening.
Overview
Uganda's High Court Commercial Division completed a 60-day court-annexed mediation exercise, settling 64 commercial disputes valued at Shs20.67 billion.
The mediation focused on trade, corporate, and construction disputes, with leadership highlighting both results and challenges.
What Happened
The High Court Commercial Division in Uganda conducted a 60-day court-annexed mediation exercise focused on trade, corporate, and construction disputes.
Of 452 listed cases, 229 were completed; 60 achieved full settlements and 4 reached partial settlements, totaling Shs20.67 billion.
20 of the settled cases were from the backlog, accounting for around Shs7.06 billion.
Leaders highlighted both successful case resolution and challenges including inadequate case screening, backlog, and advocate resistance.
Context
Court-annexed mediation is increasingly seen as an effective alternative to litigation for commercial disputes in Uganda.
Previous sector-specific mediation efforts, such as banking disputes, have produced even higher settlement values, suggesting room for broader adoption.
Challenges such as case backlog, lawyer resistance, and screening inefficiencies persist and are being addressed through judicial reforms and recommendations.
Why It Matters
- The exercise demonstrates the monetary and procedural impact of mediation in reducing case backlog in Uganda's commercial courts.
- Judicial leaders are advocating for making mediation routine to speed up dispute resolution.
- The report highlights both the potential and limitations of court-annexed mediation in commercial matters.