KAMPALA – A new law aimed at increasing the financial jurisdiction of magistrates, enhancing sentencing powers and streamlining court procedures awaits presidential assent, a move lawmakers say will reduce case backlog at the High Court and improve access to justice.
Parliament passed the Magistrates Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2026, on Thursday, introducing reforms designed to strengthen lower courts. The legislation raises the monetary limits magistrates can handle in civil cases and abolishes the position of magistrate grade II to align with the judiciary’s current structure.
The bill increases the civil jurisdiction of chief magistrates from 50 million shillings to 100 million shillings and raises the jurisdiction of magistrates from 20 million shillings to 50 million shillings.
Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Committee Chairperson Stephen Baka Mugabi said the previous limits, last revised in 2007, had been overtaken by inflation and economic changes. He noted that low thresholds had led to cases being unnecessarily filed in the High Court, causing congestion.
“The capping of the value of the subject matter is very low for the magistrates courts … cases that should be handled at the magisterial level end up in the High Court thereby causing backlog,” Mugabi said.
The law also expands the authority of chief magistrates to handle higher-value cases, with their civil jurisdiction increasing to 200 million shillings. Lawmakers said the change positions chief magistrates to handle commercial, land, family and civil disputes that previously escalated to higher courts.
The legislation abolishes the position of magistrate grade II, which had already been removed administratively under the Judiciary Service structure but remained in the law.
In a move aimed at improving efficiency, the law empowers chief magistrates to transfer cases filed in courts without jurisdiction instead of dismissing them outright. Currently, courts lacking jurisdiction must dismiss such cases, forcing litigants to refile and incur additional costs.
“These changes will not only decongest the High Court but also bring justice services closer to the people by empowering magistrates courts to handle more cases effectively,” Mugabi said.
Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka said the bill’s provisions were informed by empirical data from the judiciary.
