The High Court Commercial Division has launched a two-week Trade Dispute Settlement Fortnight to resolve trade, construction and corporate disputes through mediation.
The exercise, running from August 17 to 31, targets 520 cases worth about 325 billion shillings.
The Judiciary says the initiative is aimed at reducing the backlog of commercial cases and freeing money held up in court disputes.
Launching the exercise, Principal Judge Jane Frances Abodo urged judges, registrars and lawyers to identify cases that can be settled through mediation.
Justice Abodo said lengthy court battles can delay business projects, tie up money and damage relationships between business partners.
She said mediation allows parties to agree on solutions without waiting for lengthy court proceedings.
However, Abodo warned judicial officers against forcing parties into mediation. She said parties should be given enough information about the benefits of settling their disputes before making a decision.
The head of the Commercial Court, Justice Anne Mugenyi Bitature, said the court had identified 1,250 cases that could be resolved through mediation.
She said 520 of these cases have been selected for the two-week exercise, with 26 mediators assigned to handle them.
Justice Mugenyi said the exercise is expected to unlock money tied up in disputes and help reduce the court backlog.
The Executive Director of the Judicial Training Institute, Professor Andrew Khaukha, said resolving trade disputes is important because the sector contributes significantly to government revenue.
Khaukha said the Uganda Revenue Authority collected about 31.6 trillion shillings in the 2024/25 financial year, with the trade sector contributing about 35 percent of the collections.
He said a previous Banking Mediation Fortnight resulted in the settlement of about 98 disputes and unlocked approximately 90 billion shillings.
The Judiciary says it hopes the Trade Dispute Settlement Fortnight will encourage more businesses to use mediation as a faster and cheaper alternative to lengthy court battles.
