Uganda's Chief Justice, Alfonse Owiny Dollo has announced his retirement from the judiciary after four decades of legal service.
In 2020, Chief Justice Owiny Dollo was appointed to replace Justice Bart Katureebe who retired after 4 years on bench.
His tenure drew both praise for strengthening the judiciary and criticism over persistent case backlogs, funding gaps, and strained relations between the Bench and the Uganda Law Society.
Owiny-Dollo rejected claims of judicial “capture” by the Executive, insisting on judicial independence.
Owiny-Dollo served as Deputy Chief Justice and head of the Court of Appeal/Constitutional Court, and previously as a High Court Judge.
He spent more than two decades in private legal practice, handling litigation, conveyancing, and advisory work, and is recognized for delivering the landmark judgment in the 2010 Kampala terrorist bombings case.
Having clocked the mandatory retirement age for a Supreme Court judge in Uganda, that is 70 years, Owiny Dollo decided to hang up his wig on Sunday January 18, 2026 as Uganda awaits the appointment of a new Chief Justice.
His retirement came just a few days after President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni was declared president-elect of the Republic of Uganda on Saturday, January 17, 2026, by Justice Simon Byabakama, the Electoral Commission chairperson, extending his rule beyond four decades.
