Justice Flavian Zeija has become Uganda’s Chief Justice, replacing retiring Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo .
Zeija who turns 58 next month, has been swiftly vetted by Parliament’s Appointments Committee following his appointment by President Museveni as Chief Justice of Uganda, Speaker Anita Among confirmed Thursday morning.
“Earlier today, we convened the appointments committee of Parliament to vet Justice Flavian Zeija, who was appointed by His Excellency the President to serve as the Chief Justice of the Republic of Uganda,” Among said.
“The committee’s report will be forwarded to the appointing authority in accordance with our rules of procedure,” she wrote on X.
Upon approval, Justice Zeija will be elevated to the Supreme Court, where the Chief Justice sits.
Zeija, who has served as Deputy Chief Justice since February last year, assumes the top judicial office at a time when a presidential election petition challenging Museveni’s January 15 re-election has been filed, and ahead of the president-elect’s anticipated May swearing-in if the results are upheld.
He succeeds retired Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo, who formally handed over office on January 19, 2026, marking the end of a five-year tenure described by judicial officers as “disciplined and reform-driven.”
During the handover ceremony, Zeija was presented with the Constitution, the Laws of Uganda, the Administration of the Judiciary Act, and the official court seal — the symbols of the Chief Justice’s office.
“This has been one of the best leadership periods in the Judiciary,” Zeija said, praising Owiny-Dollo’s leadership. He added that Owiny-Dollo allowed the Judiciary to perform effectively through participatory and transformational leadership.
Zeija noted that Owiny-Dollo assumed office when the Judiciary’s budget stood at about Shs180 billion and retired after it surpassed Shs400 billion.
However, Zeija takes over at a time when the Judiciary has been under fire over delays in delivering justice, alleged corruption, political interference, and challenges in handling high-profile and structurally sensitive cases, raising concerns about judicial independence and public confidence in the legal system.
Under Ugandan law, the Chief Justice is the administrative head of the Judiciary, one of the three arms of the State, and ranks fourth in protocol after the President, Vice President, and Speaker of Parliament.
With Justice Zeija’s elevation, the position of Deputy Chief Justice now needs to be filled. On Thursday, the presidency did not immediately communicate who will replace him.
Who is Justice Flavian Zeija?
Before his appointment as the Chief Justice, Flavian Zeija was deputy to the now retired Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo. The man from Uganda’s Kigezi Sub-region also served as a Principal Judge, replacing Justice Yorokamu Bamwine.
Dr Zeija (Phd) can be summed up as an accomplished senior legal professional with far-reaching experience both at the Bar and Bench. He is also an academician and a consultant.
He was born on February 18, 1969.
Justice Zeija enrolled as an advocate of the High Court in 1998, meaning he has had a legal career of more than 25 years.
Previously, the father of five children was the resident judge of the Mbarara High Court circuit, the largest circuit in the country.
He was appointed as a High Court judge in 2016.
Prior to his appointment at the Bench, Justice Zeija was into legal practice as the managing partner with Zeija, Mukasa & Co. advocates and he was also into teaching.
Between 2014 and 2016, he lectured at Uganda Christian University Mukono (UCU). He also taught at Makerere University Business School (Mubs) and also at Makerere University.
While at Mubs, he was appointed the pioneer head of the department of business law.
Between 2005 and February 2011, he joined Finca Uganda as legal counsel and later Finca Africa IT Services Centre, a subsidiary of Finca International based in Washington.
He also worked at Tropical Africa Bank as manager of legal and recovery between 2002 and 2003.
Earlier in his legal career in 1998, he joined as a legal assistant with Kwesigabo, Bamwine & Walubiri Co. Advocates.
About his educational background, the new deputy Chief Justice has a rich CV having obtained the highest level of education of obtaining a doctorate of laws (PhD) from Dar es Salaam University in Tanzania between 2008 and 2013. He specialised in law and governance during his research.
Prior to obtaining the PhD, he obtained a master’s degree in laws (LLM) from Makerere University (1999-2002).
Between 2008 and 2012, he enrolled at ICSA, an institute of chartered secretaries and administrators based in the UK.
He also has a second master’s degree in business administration from Uganda Martyrs University (2015-2018).
He obtained his first degree in law from Makerere University between 1993 and 1996 before joining the Law Development Centre (LDC), where he obtained a postgraduate diploma in legal practice in 1997.