Dr. Flavian Zeija (56) who was appointed by President yoweri Museveni as the new chief Justice , has appeared before the appointments committee of parliament for vetting . If approved , Zeija will serve as Chief Justice for at leaast 14 years before he retires as per the provisions of the national constitution.
The appointment comes just four days after former Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo Chigamoy vacated office upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.
Owiny-Dollo handed over the office to Dr. Zeija, who has been Acting Chief Justice since Monday, ensuring continuity in the Judiciary.
Dr. Zeija rose swiftly through the Judiciary, spending less than a year as Deputy Chief Justice, a role he assumed on February 7, 2025, replacing Deputy Chief Justice Emeritus Richard Buteera. Before that, he served as Principal Judge, succeeding Dr. Yorokamu Bamwine, a position he held since December 25, 2019.
But Who is Dr. Flavian Zeija?
Born on February 18, 1969, in Western Uganda, Dr. Zeija is a lawyer, academic, and experienced judge. He holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Master of Laws from Makerere University, a Doctor of Philosophy in Law from the University of Dar es Salaam, and a Master of Business Administration from Uganda Martyrs University.
He has been a member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, UK, since 2012. Dr. Zeija started his legal career in 1998 as a legal assistant and later worked at Tropical Africa Bank, FINCA Uganda Limited, and as managing partner at Zeija, Mukasa & Company Advocates.
He also taught law at Uganda Christian University, Makerere University, and Makerere University Business School, where he founded the Department of Business Law. Appointed a High Court judge in 2016, he served as Resident Judge of the Mbarara High Court Circuit before becoming Principal Judge in 2019.
He was born in Uganda on 18 February 1969. He attended St.Mary’s College Rushoroza for secondary education where he served as the Headprefect. In 1993, he was admitted to Makerere University, the oldest and largest public university in Uganda. He graduated in 1996 with a Bachelor of Laws degree. The following year, he obtained a postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Centre in Kampala.[1]
Now, as Chief Justice, he inherits a Judiciary grappling with case backlogs and understaffing but steadily modernizing through technology to improve access to justice.
