Zadock Amanyisa || Tayari News
KAMPALA – In exercise of the powers vested in the President by Article 142(1) of the 1995 Constitution and acting on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission, President Museveni on Thursday, 22nd January, 2026 appointed Hon. Justice Flavian Zeija as the Chief Justice of the Republic of Uganda.
The appointment follows the submission of Hon. Zeija’s name to the Parliament of Uganda for approval, which the parliament duly granted in accordance with the Constitution.
The Parliament’s committee of the Appointments, chaired by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Annitah Annet Among cleared Hon. Zeija for the job.
Speaker Among said on Thursday that her committee report will be “forwarded to the appointing authority with our rules of procedure.”
Hon. Zeija replaces Alfonse Owiny-Dollo, who recently clocked the mandatory 70 years and retired. Justice Owiny-Dollo handed over his office to Zeija, who was appointed deputy chief justice in February 2025.
Owiny – Dollo on Monday, 19th January, formally handed over office to his Deputy, Zeija, marking the close of a five-year tenure at the helm of the Judiciary.
In a ceremony witnessed by both Judicial and non-judicial officers, the outgoing Chief Justice handed over to Justice Zeija a copy of the Constitution, Laws of Uganda, the Administration of the Judiciary Act and a report to guide him.
Zeija, while receiving office instruments, hailed Justice Owiny – Dollo’s participatory and transformational leadership style, particularly at the start of his term when he spearheaded the Judiciary’s far-reaching transformation agenda.
In Acting capacity, Dr Zeija has chaired a meeting of the Planning, Development and Finance Committee to deliberate on the Draft Judiciary Sixth Strategic Plan for the Financial Years 2025/2026–2029/2030.
The appointment of Dr Zeija leaves a gap in the position of the Deputy Chief Justice. President Museveni has not yet pronounced himself on who replaces Zeija.
He has previously served as the Principal Judge of Uganda after Justice Yorokamu Bamwine retired.
But who is Zeija?
Dr Zeija, an academician and a trusted authority in the legal profession with more than 25 years of practice, was born in 1969 in the Kigezi sub-region. He has lectured at Uganda Christian University (Mukono), Makerere University Business School, and Makerere University, in addition to serving as an advocate of the High Court, resident judge of the Mbarara High Court Circuit, among other responsibilities.
He attained his first degree in Law from Makerere University. He would later enrol in the Law Development Centre before going for his Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Uganda Martyrs University.
If it all goes well, the new Chief Justice will officiate the swearing-in ceremony of President-elect Museveni, who won the 15th January presidential election with a satisfactory 71.65%.
During the Swearing-in Ceremony, the Chief Justice administers the Oath of Allegiance to the President-elect. The President swears in and signs the Oath of Allegiance and the Oath of the President, and the Chief Justice hands him the instruments of power. The instruments include the Constitution (supreme instrument), the National flag (sign of Uganda’s independence and sovereignty), the presidential standard flag, the National Anthem, the Court of Arms and the Public Seal before the Chief of the Defence Forces hands over a sword and a shield (the symbol of National Defence Forces) to the President.
What the Chief Justice does
The Chief Justice is the head of the Judiciary responsible for the administration and supervision of all courts in Uganda including those that do not administratively fall within the Judiciary and may issue orders and directions to the courts necessary for proper and efficient administration of justice.
Key functions of the Chief Justice include; Efficient and speedy delivery of justice to all people of Uganda, Implementation of Government legal polices and laws, efficient and effective administration and supervision of all judicial officers of both lower and higher benches, adequate staffing of judiciary with qualified and trained legal officers, deployment, promotion and discipline of judicial officers; and monitoring performance of judicial officers through the Principal Judge and the Chief Registrar.