Judicial Trainers Sharpen Tax Tribunal Officers' Judgment Writing Skills

What the report says

Nile Post reported that Uganda’s Judicial Training Institute, working with the International Development Law Organization, has opened a three-day training programme for officials of the Tax Appeals Tribunal. The programme is taking place at Protea Hotel in Entebbe and targets tribunal members, registrars, legal officers, mediators and other stakeholders involved in tax dispute resolution.

According to the report, the sessions are designed to improve judgment writing, assessment of evidence, mediation, negotiation, judicial ethics and alternative dispute resolution. Deputy Chief Justice Dr Mike Chibita, who opened the training, praised the Tribunal’s focus on professional development and urged closer coordination with JTI when setting future training priorities, including for the 2026/27 training calendar. He said stronger written decisions and wider use of mediation can support timely dispute handling, appellate review and public trust in the justice system.

Tax Appeals Tribunal Registrar Solomon Wamai said the programme reflects the institution’s commitment to improving tax justice through continuous learning. IDLO Country Director Barbara Kilei described the initiative as the start of a new partnership with the Tribunal, aimed at strengthening the quality, clarity and timeliness of its decisions.

The report also cited Kilei as saying the Tribunal resolved 365 cases in the 2025/26 financial year, releasing about Shs766 billion back into the economy, with 177 cases valued at roughly Shs202.5 billion concluded through mediation. The training matters because tax tribunals handle disputes that affect public revenue, business certainty and confidence in Uganda’s justice and tax administration systems.