By Mulengera Reporters
Justice Douglas Singiza is the new Chairperson for JSC, which is mandated to recruit judicial officers for Uganda. These include for the superior and lower bench.
As new JSC Chairperson, Dr. Singiza (a PhD holder) who is yet to take oath and begin work, has hard tasks that will require his immediate attention.
These include the recruitment of the new Chief Justice for the country since Owinyi-Dollo will be easing out in January 2026 on the account of age. Many suspect that Gen Museveni might favor his former PA Mike Chibita, the man from Butaleja, to become the next Chief Justice though it remains uncertain if the humble man from Butaleja will be interested and have ambition for such an apex position.
Besides being deeply Christian, Chibita is also extremely loyal to his mentor Gen YK Museveni and the interests of the National Resistance Movement.
To avoid a vacuum at that level, Singiza will have to commence the process of recruiting the next CJ as early as June this very year when the public advert calling for people to express interest will most likely be going out.
Yet besides the CJ, there is also the need to recruit the next Principal Judge and the Chief Registrar as these two are among the four most powerful offices in the judiciary hierarchy. The other two are CJ and DCJ. The lady Langa who was CR was promoted to Judge and Flavian Zeija who was PJ was elevated to DCJ.
Dr. Singiza will also have to require people working in the top echelons of the JSC, when they are close relatives, to go public and declare their conflict of interest to avoid perception problems and the related dilemmas.
The Commission he will be chairing will have the likes of Commissioners Jimmy Okello, AG Kiwanuka Kiryowa, Elizabeth Musoke, Hajji Lubega Waggwa, Frank Musingwire (the husband for the Public Service Ministry PS) and Justice Kania who will be deputizing him.
Singiza, who will be eligible to serve for 8 years, will most likely initially serve without representatives from the Uganda Law Society because of the chaos legal rebel Isaac Semakadde has created. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
