President Yoweri Museveni has appointed Dr Flavian Zeija as the new Chief Justice of Uganda,
He replaces Justice Alfonse Chigamoy Owiny-Dollo, who retired after attaining the mandatory retirement age of 70.
Dr Zeija, an academic and seasoned jurist, has previously served as a judge of the High Court of Uganda, Principal Judge, and most recently as Deputy Chief Justice.
His appointment marks the culmination of a long judicial career spanning the bench, legal scholarship, and judicial administration.
Dr Zeija’s appointment follows the formal retirement of Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo, which took effect on January 18, 2026, the day he turned 70, in line with constitutional requirements for Uganda’s highest judicial office.
Brief Overview And Experience
Flavian Zeija is a Ugandan lawyer, academic and former judge of the High Court of Uganda who doubled as the country’s Principal Judge, effective 25 December 2019, until his appointment as Deputy Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Uganda on 7 February 2025. In Uganda, a Principal Judge is responsible for supervising the justices of the High Court, including the assignment of duties to members of the Court. The Principal Judge is also responsible for supervising the Magistrates Courts below the High Court.
He was born in Uganda on 18 February 1969. He attended local elementary and secondary schools. In 1993, he was admitted to Makerere University and graduated in 1996 with a Bachelors of Laws degree. The following year, he obtained a postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Centre in Kampala.
In 1999, he returned to Makerere University and was admitted to the Master’s program in Law. He graduated with a Master of Laws degree in 2002. His degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Law was awarded by the University of Dares salaam in 2013.
Key Experience Record
He has a wide experience as a practicing attorney. He started out in 1998, as a legal assistant with Kwesigabo, Bamwine, Walubiri & Company Advocates, a Kampala-based law firm. In the past, he worked at Tropical Africa Bank as manager legal and recovery, between 2002 and 2003. He also worked at Finca Uganda Limited as legal counsel. At the time he was appointed to the High Court of Uganda, he served as the Managging Partner at Zeija, Mukasa & Company Advocates, another Kampala-based law firm.
In addition to practicing law, Flavian Zeija taught law at Uganda Christian University,Makerere University and Makerer University Business School At MUBS he served as the founding head of the department of Business Law.
He was appointed as a judge of the High Court of Uganda in 2016. He was assigned as the Resident Judge of Mbarara High Court Circuit, the largest circuit in the country. While serving in that capacity, in December 2019, he was appointed to his current assignment.
Notable Judgments
The Principal Judge, may at his/her discretion, continue to hear cases, in his/her capacity as a justice of the High Court of Uganda. A notable case that he handled in September 2020 was Kalemera H. Kimera vs Kabaka Muwenda Mutebi II. In his dismissal of the suit, the judge pointed out that according to current Ugandan inheritance laws, a grandchild who is not expressly named in the will cannot contest the inheritance of a grandparent’s estate. Those who can contest are (a) the legitimate children of the deceased (b) the illegitimate children and (c) any adopted children of the deceased. The judge ordered the complainant to pay the respondents’ legal fees.
