President Museveni has called on judges across East Africa to issue court orders more quickly on infrastructure disputes, saying that judicial delays on roads, railways and dams over procedural matters harm economic development and ordinary citizens. Museveni delivered his remarks through First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs Rebecca Kadaga at celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of the East African Court of Justice in Arusha, Tanzania, on Thursday. He argued that courts risk undermining public interests when they issue injunctions that stall major investments, describing such decisions as failing to properly manage the region's future.
The President used a Luganda expression, okukonesa, meaning to fail to properly manage heat when cooking, leaving food half-cooked and wasted, to illustrate what he sees as the consequences of judicial decisions that obstruct Africa's development. He accused some judges in national and regional courts of ideological disorientation, saying they sometimes adopt European legal approaches without considering the socio-economic realities of developing African societies. Museveni said the regional court should anchor its decisions in the strategic interests of African people, particularly where disputes threaten investments and projects meant to lower the cost of doing business.
Museveni questioned why the East African Court of Justice was established if it could become a platform for prolonged litigation that obstructs implementation of agreements reached by EAC partner states. He said the court was created to be the guardian of the regional Treaty, to ensure that when member states agree to remove non-tariff barriers, establish a Customs Union and create a Common Market, no official or merchant blocks East African goods at the border. He argued that the court's effectiveness should partly be measured by its contribution to facilitating trade, protecting investments and resolving commercial disputes across the region.
The President pointed to the expansion of the EAC from three founding member states to eight, with a combined population of more than 350 million people, as an opportunity to create a larger market capable of supporting industrialisation and economic prosperity. He cited the United States, China and India as examples of economies whose growth is supported by large, integrated markets. Manufacturers in Jinja and farmers in Masaka, he said, cannot rely on Uganda's domestic market alone to absorb all goods and services produced in the country.
Museveni warned that uncertainty and delays in resolving commercial disputes could discourage investors from committing capital to the region, ultimately affecting employment opportunities, particularly for young people. He also raised concerns about the enforcement of the court's decisions, agreeing with EACJ President Justice Nestor Kayobera that judgments that are not implemented undermine the authority and effectiveness of the institution. Beyond the court's immediate mandate, Museveni called for accelerated efforts towards an East African Political Federation, which he described as a lasting solution to the region's challenges in trade, security and justice.
The President urged the court to align its jurisprudence with Africa's socio-economic priorities, arguing that law should serve as an instrument of social transformation and economic liberation rather than an obstacle to development. He challenged the court's judges to use the next phase of the institution's existence to accelerate commercial dispute resolution, strengthen enforcement of judgments and support regional economic integration. The EACJ is considering expanding its jurisdiction to cover trade, investment and monetary matters under its Strategic Plan for 2026-2027 to 2031-2032.