Kampala-His Lordship, Dr. Mumba Malira, the Chief Justice of the Republic of Zambia on Monday, assumed office as the Chairperson of the African Chief Justices’ Alternative Dispute Resolution Forum (ACJADRF), replacing Uganda’s Chief Justice Emeritus Alphonse Owiny Dollo who held the same position since 2024.
At the hand over ceremony held at Supreme Court building Kampala, Dr. Mumba noted that Alternative Dispute Resolution should be adopted in all African countries because it doesn’t only reduce on case backlog, but it also promotes reconciliation among the parties.
“It is not about winning and losing, it comes with a win win situation All parties walk away sure that they have benefited from the settlement.
I have liked Justice Zeija ‘s statement that the courts will determine a dispute but not resolve it since in the end it considers who is wrong and who is right.”
Mumba also stated that the
level of litigations have grown in most countries due to increased population, but unfortunately the Judiciaries in those countries have not fully grown to serve that capacity.
“Let us see how we can galvanize this idea, not to pass a vote of no confidence in the courts, but to make courts but as a away of helping courts to become more effective.”
He commended Chief Justice Emeritus Alphonse Dollo for his exampulory leadership and revealed that they have put in place an Advisory Committee consisting of former Chief Justices who will be providing guidance to the forum at all times.
Chief Justice, Dr. Flavian Zeija welcomed the transition and promised that Uganda will continue hosting the forum as a secretariat and looking forward to expand their space in the near future so as to be more visible.
Chief Justice Emeritus, Alphonse Owiny Dollo in his speech, clarified that ADR is not new as many may think, it has been here for so many years but, it has been lacking clear guidelines for its implementation.
“As the forum, we are already giving directions because these traditional practices, trespass and go beyond what is permissible. The new Head of the Secretariat was with us when we started the forum in 2024, he was part of the team that founded it , he understands the reason behind it and he is passionate about the cause.”
Dollo also gave an example that, all developed countries in the world which have adopted Alternative Dispute Resolution they have a higher disposal rate of cases compared to those that have not prioritized it yet.
“The biggest economy in the world is USA, over 95 percent of civil matters are resolved through ADR i.e Mediation, negotiations, Reconciliation and Arbitration. The difference between theirs and ours, they have developed rules which the practitioners follow, when we develop them here, we shall bring them under the confines of the law.”
The Africa Chief Justices’ Alternative Dispute Resolution Forum (ACJADRF) was established following Resolution 16 adopted at the Africa Chief Justices’ Summit on Alternative Dispute Resolution, held in Kampala, Uganda, March, 2024.
The Forum serves as a continental platform that brings together Chief Justices from across Africa to advance the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) as an effective mechanism for enhancing access to justice, reducing court case backlogs, fostering timely dispute resolution.
The Africa Chief Justices’ Alternative Dispute Resolution Forum (ACJADRF) was established in 2024, following Resolution 16 adopted at the Africa Chief Justices’ Summit on Alternative Dispute Resolution, held in Kampala last year. It’s Secretariat was established also in Kampala.
