The Chief Justice, Alphonse Owiny Dollo has ordered the indefinite closure of the Supreme Court in Kampala over a number of safety concerns.
“The landlord has been duly notified to assess and rectify the defects. For these reasons, the top management of the Judiciary has decided, and I hereby direct that the supreme Court be closed as the premises undergo renovations and rectification of defects,” Dollo said in a May, 30 internal memo also copied to the Deputy Chief Justice,, Attorney General, the Principal Judge and the Director of Public Prosecutions among others.
According to the memo, water leakages that have seen ceilings collapse and also flooding in the chambers of the justices of the court at Kololo, damaged furniture and latest fire among other issues of safety have necessitated that the Supreme Court premises are closed indefinitely until the problem is solved.
“In the meantime, you are all advised to execute your work from home until further notice, Dollo said.
However, he said the registry and the Electronic Court Case Management Information System centre will remain open to the public handle case filing while judgments “may be delivered using virtual electronic means”.
The development comes at a time when the judiciary is constructing seven-storey twin appellate courts buildings in the city that will house all courts.
The construction process of the buildings that is in the final stages is valued at shs63.9 billion but will save the judiciary over shs6 billion spent every year in rent including the current Supreme Court headquarters in Kololo which have been closed indefinitely for leaking.
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