Zeija is new Deputy Chief Justice, Sarah Langa and Teko judges of the High Court

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT & URN | President Yoweri Museveni has appointed Dr Flavian Zeija as Uganda’s new Deputy Chief Justice to replace Justice Richard Buteera who retires in April. Zeija has been the Principal Judge.

On the advice of the Judicial Commission, the President of Uganda , in exercise of his powers under Article 142 (1) and (2) of the Constitution, has also appointed one Justice of the Supreme Court, eight Justices of the Court of Appeal and  21 Judges of the High Court in acting capacity.

Names that stand out include Justice Musa Ssekaana, now a Justice of the Court of Appeal; Former ULS president Simon Kinobe; and lawyers Isaac Teko, working with Bank of Uganda, and Sarah Langa who has been Chief Registrar of the Uganda Judiciary.

According to a statement from the judiciary, the changes include a re-appointment of Lady Justice Bukirwa Faridah Shamilah  as acting Judge of the High Court following the conclusion of disciplinary proceedings against her.

“These appointments were part of the last activities conducted by the 6^th Commission, led by  Justice Benjamin I. Kabiito whose term of office expired on the 21^st of January 2025. The appointments are in line with the expanded structure of the Judiciary and reflect the Commission’s theme of being the ‘People’s Bridge to Justice’,” the statement said.

In exercise of the powers vested in the President by Article 142(1) and (2) of the 1995 Constitution, His Excellency, the President, has made the following new appointments to the judiciary; pic.twitter.com/pTkmKsWHsj

— State House Uganda (@StateHouseUg) February 7, 2025

Who is Dr Flavian Zeija

Justice Dr. Flavian Zeija is a lawyer, academic and the Principal Judge, which is the third highly ranking position in the Judiciary of Uganda which he has since been holding effective 25 December 2019. He replaced Dr Yorokamu Bamwine who was relieved of his duties after clocking the mandatory age for retirement.

Dr Flavian Zeija was born in Western Uganda on  February 18th 1969. He attended local elementary and secondary schools. In 1993, he was admitted to Makerere University, where he graduated in 1996 with a Bachelor of Laws degree. The following year, he obtained a postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Centre in Kampala.

In 1999, he returned to Makerere University and was admitted to the Master’s program in Law. He graduated with a Master of Laws degree in 2002. His degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Law was awarded by the University of Dar es Salaam in 2013. He also holds a Master of Business Administration degree, obtained from the Uganda Martyrs University, in 2018. In addition, he has been a member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of the United Kingdom, since 2012.

He has a wide experience as a practising attorney. He started in 1998, as a legal assistant with Kwesigabo, Bamwine, Walubiri & Company Advocates, a Kampala-based law firm. In the past, he worked at Tropical Africa Bank as manager of legal and recovery, between 2002 and 2003. He also worked at FINCA Uganda Limited as legal counsel. Before his appointment to the High Court of Uganda in 2016,  he served as the managing partner at Zeija, Mukasa & Company Advocates, another Kampala-based law firm.

In addition to practising law, Flavian Zeija taught law at  Uganda Christian University,  Makerere University and  Makerere University Business School (MUBS). At MUBS he served as the founding head of the department of Business Law.

He was appointed as a judge of the High Court of Uganda in 2016. He was then assigned as the Resident Judge of Mbarara High Court Circuit, the largest circuit in the country. While serving in that capacity, in December 2019, he was appointed to his current assignment as the Principal Judge for which he now leaves to start other duties as the Deputy Chief Justice.

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DEPUTY CHIEF JUSTICE

JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT

JUSTICES OF THE COURT OF APPEAL

APPOINTMENTS AS ACTING JUDGES OF THE HIGH COURT FOR 2 (TWO) YEARS.

RE-APPOINTMENT AS ACTING JUDGE OF THE HIGH COURT FOR 1 (ONE) YEAR.