The Family Division of the High Court has held a pre-session orientation to equip judges for the unprecedented wave of succession-related applications, following the enactment of the Succession (Amendment) Act, 2022.
The one-day training, held at the Supreme Court Conference Hall, comes as the Judiciary grapples with more than 8,700 pending cases, nearly 5,000 of them renewals of grants of probate and Letters of Administration after thousands of grants expired on May 31, 2025.
Opening the session, Acting Principal Judge, Lady Justice Okuo Jane Kajuga, said the programme is designed to fast-track cases and ensure consistent, fair, and expeditious handling.
“Behind every file lies a person and a family,” she noted. “This exercise must be handled with professionalism and sensitivity to protect vulnerable beneficiaries, clear the backlog, and restore public trust in the Judiciary.”
The training, facilitated by the Head of the Family Division, Justice John Eudes Keitirima, Justice Charles Kasibayo, and other judges, focused on detecting fraud, ensuring compliance with statutory timelines, and balancing legal requirements with compassion.
Describing the influx of cases as an “avalanche of applications,” Justice Keitirima said many administrators had failed to meet their legal obligations, treating estates as personal property.
He warned that non-compliance was leaving families stranded and blocking access to necessities such as medical care and school fees.
The Administrator General, Mr. Victor Manzi, highlighted reforms under the 2022 amendments, including enhanced rights for spouses, changes in property sharing, and anti-fraud safeguards.
He announced plans to introduce tamper-proof certificates of no objection and urged closer collaboration between his office and the Judiciary.
Manzi further clarified that his office no longer manages succession registers for Buganda inheritance records (1912–1967), a decision now under Constitutional Court challenge through Petition No. 84 of 2023. On expired grants, he emphasised that renewal applications must first be handled by courts, with the Administrator General’s office stepping in only when administrators are deceased or extensions rejected.
The session also featured presentations from Justice Kasibayo on the “Overview of the Succession (Amendment) Act, 2022” and Justice Keitirima on “Practical Steps of Handling Applications for Renewal of Letters of Administration/Probate.”
The pre-session, moderated by HW Katushabe Prossy, convened judges who will preside over a special session dedicated to clearing the succession backlog.
