Magistrates Urged to Embrace Judiciary Performance Enhancement Tool

Chief Registrar Agnes Alum has called upon more than 90 magistrates to fully adopt the Judiciary’s Performance Enhancement Tool (PET). Speaking at the closing of a two-day training workshop held at the Court of Appeal Building Conference Hall in Kampala, Alum emphasized that the tool’s true success lies in its capacity to drive judicial efficiency, boost accountability, and elevate service delivery for all court users.

According to Alum, PET shifts performance management away from standard administrative appraisals. Instead, it introduces a results-driven strategy designed to hold judicial officers directly accountable for their output. The framework incorporates the Judiciary’s seven core values—independence, impartiality, transparency, professionalism, integrity, accountability, and equality—directly into day-to-day operations.

While participants raised valid concerns regarding performance scoring, diverse working environments, appeal procedures, and jurisdictional differences, Alum assured them that the Performance Management and Awards Committee will continue reviewing the framework. However, she stressed that the tool is already operational and implementation will proceed as planned. She also pointed to regional models like Kenya’s performance evaluation framework and Tanzania’s real-time dashboards as successful benchmarks.

Patricia Amoko, Secretary to the Performance Management and Awards Committee, encouraged the magistrates to apply their newly acquired knowledge and regularly monitor their progress. In a related development, Moses Gabriel Angualia from the Inspectorate of Courts announced that the Judiciary is establishing geographical peer groups to foster mentorship, networking, and knowledge sharing among judicial officers.

For more details on this training and ongoing judicial reforms, read the original report on Nile Post.