52 cases cause-listed as the Mbale High Court sits at Pallisa for the first time in the court’s history
Kyembe Karim | Judicial Impact | 2 November 2026
A prisons officer salutes the Hon. Justice Lawrence Tweyanze as he inspects the guard of honour on arrival at the court.
The Chief Magistrate’s Court of Pallisa made history today. The Mbale High Court opened its first criminal session at the court, before Hon. Justice Lawrence Tweyanze, with 52 criminal case files to be heard over about a month.
Pallisa is gazetted as a High Court station, but the High Court there is yet to be operationalised, so criminal sessions for the area have so far been held in Mbale. This is the first High Court criminal session in the history of a court that has existed for more than 20 years.
A ceremonial start
The day opened with a guard of honour inspected by the Hon. Judge. He was received by the Chief Magistrate, H/W Lydia Kambedha, with H/W Kyembe Karim at her side, and was later joined by the Senior Magistrate, H/W Agnes Nabafu. The Judge’s Research Magistrate, H/W Flavia Namugga, was also present.
Invited stakeholders included the Regional Police Commander, the District Police Commander, the District Security Officer, the LC V Chairperson, the Deputy and Assistant Resident District Commissioners, a representative of the Chief Administrative Officer, a representative of the Emori Mori, the Probation Officer, the Officer-in-Charge of Kamuge Prison and the Regional DPP.
Readiness of the justice chain
A pre-session stakeholders’ meeting, chaired by the Hon. Judge and moderated by the Chief Magistrate, assessed readiness and harmonised roles for an effective and efficient session. Each stakeholder affirmed readiness. The DPP confirmed that all files are in order and that efforts to secure witness attendance are underway. Defence counsel said they have consulted the accused persons to ensure adequate representation. The police and prisons teams confirmed logistical preparedness, despite challenges such as prison congestion, while the welfare and probation office pledged support to witnesses and victims, with special attention to juvenile victims in defilement cases.
Sexual offences top the cause list
Of the 52 cases cause-listed, 24 are defilement, the highest category, followed by 16 murder cases, 7 rape, 4 aggravated robbery and 1 aggravated trafficking.
The Judge’s message
The Hon. Judge thanked the Judiciary and its top management for taking services closer to the people and for funding the session. He stressed the Judiciary’s commitment to swift and fair justice, urged discipline, punctuality and observance of procedural timelines, and said the session aims to reduce the case backlog.
He also encouraged plea bargaining as a means of quicker resolution, urging accused persons who committed the offences to accept responsibility. The mission of the court, he said, is twofold: to ensure that the guilty are held accountable and that the innocent are promptly exonerated.
Noting that his name has become associated with new courts and first sessions, the Judge said the session is expected to conclude by the end of November 2026, and that, given his experience and working method, he may not need the full 30 days. Stakeholders welcomed this, given the delays often experienced in the administration of justice. He closed with a call for unity, professionalism and cooperation, so that justice is not only done but seen to be done.
After the speeches, the Hon. Judge held a caucus with the lawyers and state attorneys. It was a lively day at the Pallisa Chief Magistrate’s Court, and the start of a session aimed at taking justice closer to the people.
