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Citation
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Judgment date
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| March 2026 |
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An appellate court upheld a 25-year sentence for aggravated defilement as lawful and not manifestly excessive.
Criminal law — Sentencing — Aggravated defilement — Sentencing Guidelines (Guideline 19: 30 years to death) — Appellate review of sentence — Manifestly excessive; mitigating and aggravating factors; first appellate court duty.
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11 March 2026 |
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Appellate court upheld 20‑year aggravated defilement sentence, finding remand credited and sentence not excessive.
Sentencing — deduction of remand period under Article 23(8) — discretion of sentencing courts — appellate interference only for illegality, wrong principle, omission of relevant factors or manifest excessiveness — aggravated defilement sentencing consistency.
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11 March 2026 |
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Appellate court reduced an excessive murder sentence to ensure consistency and account for mitigating factors and remand time.
Criminal law — Sentencing — Murder — Appellate reappraisal of sentence — Manifestly excessive sentence — Sentencing Guidelines and consistency — Mitigating factors and remand deduction.
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11 March 2026 |
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A sentencing court must clearly credit pre-trial remand under Article 23(8); failure renders the sentence illegal and requires adjustment.
Criminal law – Sentencing – Aggravated defilement – Article 23(8) Constitution – Remand credit required – Rwabugande requirement for arithmetic deduction or clear demonstrable credit – Resentencing powers of appellate court.
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9 March 2026 |
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Court upheld identification and confession, dismissed the applicant’s alibi, and found the sentence not excessive.
Criminal law – Aggravated robbery – Identification at night – Sufficiency of identification evidence and description – Alibi rebutted by witnesses and confession – Alleged inconsistencies not material – Sentence within range.
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9 March 2026 |
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Eyewitness ID and recovery of stolen laptop disproved the alibi; aggravated robbery conviction and sentence upheld.
Criminal law – Aggravated robbery – deadly weapon – eyewitness identification – alibi – recent possession of stolen property – circumstantial evidence – appellate reappraisal – sentencing discretion – Court of Appeal Rules (Rule 66(2)).
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9 March 2026 |
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Appellate court upheld 20-year sentence for aggravated defilement involving an HIV-positive offender and disabled 10-year-old victim.
Criminal law – Aggravated defilement – Sentencing – Role of aggravating factors (victim disability, young age, offender HIV-positive) versus mitigation (guilty plea, first offender) – Appellate interference with sentence.
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9 March 2026 |
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A defective notice and late service made the appeal incompetent; appeal struck out and costs awarded.
Civil procedure — Notice of Appeal — Rule 76(3) requirement to state whether appeal is against whole or part; Rule 78(1) — service within seven days; Rule 83 — institution of appeal and record-request timelines; failure to take essential steps — competence of appeal; extension of time — discretion cannot cure jurisdictional defects; mistakes of counsel/illiteracy — not a remedy for multiple fundamental defects.
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6 March 2026 |
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Appeal against conviction and 30-year sentence for aggravated defilement dismissed; evidence and sentence upheld.
Criminal law – aggravated defilement – credibility and contradictions – unsworn evidence of a child and corroboration – alibi: burden to disprove – medical and circumstantial evidence – sentencing guidelines; sentence proportionate.
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4 March 2026 |
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Failure to deduct remand period rendered the appellant's sentence illegal; court substituted a reduced lawful sentence.
Sentencing law — Deduction of remand period — Article 23(8) Constitution — Rwabugande precedent — Murder — Manifestly excessive sentence — Appellate substitution of sentence under Judicature Act.
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4 March 2026 |
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Appellant failed to prove minority; life sentence set aside and substituted with an adjusted term after considering mitigation.
Criminal law — Age of accused — burden and proof — verification of birth records and medical/dental evidence; Sentencing — duty to record and weigh mitigating factors; appellate substitution of sentence for manifest excess; consistency in sentencing for murder.
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4 March 2026 |
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Plea-taking procedure and interpreter requirements were not followed; conviction quashed and retrial ordered.
Criminal procedure – plea bargaining – compliance with Adan v Republic plea-taking safeguards – Judicature (Plea Bargain) Rules, 2016 – right to be informed in a language understood (Article 28(3)) – defective plea and retrial.
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4 March 2026 |
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Conviction for aggravated defilement upheld on reliable single-witness ID; 40-year sentence reduced to 32 years (remand deducted).
Criminal law – Aggravated defilement of a toddler – Single-witness identification: reliability factors (prior acquaintance, daylight, distance) – Circumstantial and corroborative medical evidence – Admissibility of PF3A/PF24 as agreed documents – Appellate review of sentence and reduction for excessiveness.
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3 March 2026 |
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Whether a registered title could be impeached for fraud and whether an undisclosed community could sustain a representative counterclaim.
Land law — registration and fraud — whether registered title impeachable for fraud; retrospective application of Land Regulations 2001; customary/communal land use versus registered title; representative suits (Order 1 Rule 8) and locus standi; damages for trespass; effect of Land Reform Decree on transfers by customary tenants.
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2 March 2026 |
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Judicial review premature where appellant failed to exhaust statutory appeal remedy against Registrar's cancellation of title.
Land law – cancellation of title under section 91 Land Act; Judicial review – requirement to exhaust statutory remedies (Reg 7A(1)(b) Judicial Review Rules 2019); Appellate jurisdiction – appeals under s.91(10) to Land Tribunals/Magistrates, not High Court; Service/notice and right to be heard.
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2 March 2026 |
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Misinterpretation of a survey cannot defeat a purchaser's equitable interest; vendor failed to prove furniture damages and tree cutting damages were remedied.
Land law – sale of land by written agreement – description by neighbours and approximate acreages – role and interpretation of a surveyor’s report. Evidence Act (ss.91, 92) – parole evidence rule and exceptions; whether oral evidence may vary written land sale
Property – passing of property and equitable interest where part-payment made; remedies for unilateral acts by vendor (cutting trees). Proof of special damages – necessity of particularisation and strict proof. Civil procedure – first appeal reappraisal of evidence; misinterpretation of expert/survey report as ground for setting aside findings
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2 March 2026 |
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Appeal dismissed as incompetent because the High Court appeal was filed out of time without leave.
Civil procedure — appeals — limitation and competence — section 79 CPA — appeal filed out of time without leave — jurisdictional preliminary objection must be considered first — appeal founded on incompetent appeal is incompetent.
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2 March 2026 |
| February 2026 |
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Appellate court upheld a 24-year aggravated defilement sentence, finding no manifest excess or misapplication of principle.
Criminal law — Sentencing — aggravated defilement — appellate interference limited to wrong principle, overlooked material factor or manifestly excessive sentence; mitigation vs aggravation; remand credit; sentencing guidelines.
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27 February 2026 |
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Aggravated robbery conviction upheld; identification and theft proved, sentence reduced for remand credit, compensation affirmed.
Criminal law – Aggravated robbery – proof of theft without recovery of property; identification evidence and alibi; sentencing – mandatory remand credit (Article 23(8)) and re‑sentencing; compensation under Penal Code/Trial on Indictments Act.
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27 February 2026 |
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A plea-bargained guilty plea confirmed in court cannot be overturned by a belated language complaint from the appellant.
Criminal law — Plea bargain and plea-taking — Requirement to explain charge and rights in a language the accused understands — Interpreter signature only required if used — Procedural irregularity must occasion failure of justice to warrant setting aside plea.
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27 February 2026 |
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Appeal dismissed: appellant breached an oral land sale; transfer documents showed surrender, and damages award was affirmed after reassessment.
Land law – sale of land and oral agreements – transfer form and undertaking – surrender vs sale – bona fide purchaser for value without notice – breach of sale agreement – assessment of general damages – appellate power to reassess damages.
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26 February 2026 |
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Long, continuous unchallenged occupation defeats a nearly fifty-year-late proprietary claim; appeal dismissed, High Court upheld.
Land law — Possession and bona fide occupancy — Long, continuous and unchallenged occupation may defeat a delayed proprietary claim; trespass, abandonment and limitation — appellate competence to decide issues central to substantive justice even if not precisely pleaded.
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25 February 2026 |
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Interlocutory Court of Appeal orders do not automatically attract Supreme Court appeal; stay denied for lack of prima facie right and proof.
Civil procedure — Stay of execution pending appeal — Applicant must show prima facie right or likelihood of success or irreparable harm — Appellate jurisdiction statutory — No appeal as of right from interlocutory Court of Appeal orders to Supreme Court — Requirement to serve Notice of Appeal and record — Discretion on security for due performance.
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25 February 2026 |
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Dispute arose before Land Act 1998; gazetted township status defeats unrecognized customary occupation, appeal dismissed with costs.
Land law — applicability of Land Act 1998 to disputes arising before its commencement; proof of customary tenure — requirement of documentary/official recognition or admissible expert evidence where land is gazetted urban/public land; gazettement and survey evidence as determinative of township status; competence of second appeals — grounds must be points of law, not mixed law and fact.
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23 February 2026 |
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Execution and sale irregularities vitiated the transfer; appellant was not a bona fide purchaser and appeal is dismissed.
Civil procedure — Review of judgment — Duty of court to examine legality of execution and sale — Irregularities (no advertisement, over-attachment, failure to deposit sale proceeds, misrepresentation, transfer despite caveat) vitiate sale and transfer — Bona fide purchaser doctrine — Due diligence and notice — Appellate interference with exercise of judicial discretion.
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23 February 2026 |
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Court reduced aggravated defilement sentence after finding remand period was not arithmetically credited.
Criminal law — aggravated defilement — plea of guilty — role of assessors at sentencing — section 139 Trial on Indictment Act (failure of justice standard) — remand credit must be arithmetically deducted (Rwabugande principle) — Court of Appeal power to quash and resentence under Judicature Act.
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22 February 2026 |
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Conviction for aggravated defilement affirmed; sentence reduced as excessive and remand time deducted.
[Criminal procedure] Assessors' oath — omission is procedural irregularity but not automatically fatal absent miscarriage of justice; [Appeal] Re-evaluation of evidence under Rule 30; [Sentencing] Aggravated defilement — appellate reduction where sentence manifestly excessive; remand period deduction.
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19 February 2026 |
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Second appeals are limited to pure points of law; amendments cannot be used to convert mixed law-and-fact grounds into law-only grounds.
Civil Procedure Act ss.72, 74 – Second appeals limited to points of law – Mixed law and fact grounds impermissible; Court of Appeal Rules r.45 – discretion to amend pleadings cannot override substantive statutory bar – amendment refused – application dismissed with costs.
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19 February 2026 |
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Appeal dismissed: circumstantial evidence and last-seen inference sustained murder conviction; sentence upheld.
Criminal law – Murder – circumstantial evidence and doctrine of 'last seen' – alibi raised late and rejected – identification by witness of accused with panga – motive (land dispute) – appellate re-evaluation of evidence – sentence within permissible range.
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18 February 2026 |
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Circumstantial evidence, when forming an unbroken chain, can establish the appellant's participation in aggravated robbery.
Criminal law – Aggravated robbery – Participation proved by circumstantial evidence – Completeness of evidential chain – Evaluation of single identifying witness – Doctrine of last seen – Admissibility and effect of untendered call/data records – Alibi as afterthought.
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18 February 2026 |
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Mortgage deed held valid despite form deviations; private treaty sale upheld and trial award of UGX 91,915,000 set aside.
Property law – mortgage validity – deviations from prescribed form not fatal where substantive requirements satisfied and instrument witnessed; Sale of mortgaged land – private treaty permitted where mortgage deed authorises it and mortgagor consented; Bona fide purchaser – cross-appeal affecting purchaser struck out where notice of cross-appeal not shown to have been served; Damages – no recovery of asserted difference to open-market value where forced-sale context and valuation evidence do not support award.
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13 February 2026 |
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The applicant’s appeal is dismissed because the memorandum of appeal breached Rule 86(1) by stating vague, argumentative grounds and is therefore non-viable.
Second appeal — role of second appellate court under Rule 32(2) and s.72 CPA; Civil Procedure — Rule 83 (institution of appeals and service of application for proceedings); Civil Procedure — Rule 86(1) (contents of memorandum of appeal; requirement to state specific grounds); Evidence — appraisal of inconsistencies and possession in land disputes; Property law — characterization of transaction as mortgage versus sale and principles on clog on redemption.
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12 February 2026 |
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Application for stay pending appeal dismissed for procedural defects, lack of capacity, and failure to show irreparable harm.
Civil procedure — Stay of execution pending appeal — Rule 6(2)(b) and Rule 42(1)/(2) Court of Appeal Rules — Jurisdictional/competency requirements — Locus/standing — Judicial review (prerogative) orders not generally executable — Conditions for stay: prima facie success, irreparable harm, balance of convenience, security — Clean hands doctrine — Independent administrative action (IGG) and freezing of accounts.
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12 February 2026 |
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Leave to amend was refused due to inordinate delay and prejudice, though the amendment did not introduce a new cause of action.
Civil procedure — Amendment of pleadings (Order 6 Rule 19) — Leave to amend to be freely granted unless it introduces a distinct new cause of action, is malafide, causes undue prejudice, or is barred by law — Inordinate delay and prejudice as valid grounds to refuse amendment — Statutory notice not mandatory in these circumstances — Appellate review of discretionary exercise limited to misdirection or manifestly wrong exercise of discretion.
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12 February 2026 |
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Trial court erred in dismissing the applicant’s land claim for lack of locus standi; appeal allowed and matter remitted.
Civil procedure – locus standi in land disputes – distinction between locus standi and cause of action – requirement (or not) of letters of administration for a beneficiary to sue – appellate procedure – service and timing of applications for leave to appeal out of time – competence objections under Court of Appeal Rules (Rules 82, 102) – remittal for hearing on merits.
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12 February 2026 |
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Court stayed execution pending appeal, holding the decision was appealable as of right and applicants met stay requirements.
Court of Appeal – Stay of execution pending appeal – Appeal as of right where decision conclusively determines rights – Requirements for stay: arguable appeal/likelihood of success, irreparable harm/nugatory outcome, balance of convenience, promptness of application – Execution/taxation proceedings and risk of civil imprisonment.
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12 February 2026 |
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Court set aside an erroneous severance and allocation, restoring joint tenancy and equal sharing of proceeds and liabilities.
Land law – Joint tenancy – Severance – Four unities (possession, interest, title, time) – Modes of severance; Procedural law – Use of Notice of Motion/Human Rights (Enforcement) Act for contested property severance; Constitutional law – Protection of property (Article 26) and limits on deprivation; Relief – Registration changes, injunctions, partition principles and equitable shares.
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12 February 2026 |
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Second appeal dismissed: purchase proved; alleged clan title and gift unproven, eviction and permanent injunction ordered.
Civil procedure – Second appeal limited to questions of law; appellate re-evaluation of evidence. Land law – proof of purchase versus clan/ancestral land; requirements for valid gift inter vivos
Evidence – admissibility of electronic recordings; necessity of locus in quo visit when ownership central
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12 February 2026 |
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The appellate court wrongly overturned the trial’s land ownership finding by misassessing the applicant's witnesses and disregarding the locus visit.
Land law – ownership by inheritance – weight of locus in quo and witness demeanour – appellate re-appraisal of evidence on second appeal under s.72 Civil Procedure Act – adverse possession not established.
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11 February 2026 |
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Circumstantial evidence was insufficient for murder; procedural omissions did not occasion a miscarriage of justice.
Criminal law – Murder – Circumstantial evidence must form a complete chain incompatible with innocence; procedural omissions (unsworn assessors, absence of recorded summing-up, unsworn witnesses) are irregular but not automatically fatal absent miscarriage of justice; retrial discretionary and may be refused where prosecution case is weak, witnesses absent and delay risks prejudice.
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11 February 2026 |
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Allowing an amended plaint that substitutes a new cause of action to evade limitation is irregular; suit was time-barred.
Civil procedure — Amendment of pleadings — Order 5 r.19 CPR — Amendment that substitutes a distinct cause of action is irregular — Limitation — Section 5 Limitation Act — Recovery of land — Continuous trespass principle inapplicable where amended plaint unlawfully admitted.
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11 February 2026 |
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Whether a 25-year sentence for aggravated defilement after a guilty plea was manifestly excessive.
Criminal law – Sentencing – Aggravated defilement – Effect of guilty plea on sentence – Mitigating and aggravating factors – Appellate review only where sentence is manifestly excessive or wrong in principle – Sentencing range for aggravated defilement.
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10 February 2026 |
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Appellate court upheld a 26-year sentence for aggravated defilement, finding it not excessive given the aggravating factors.
Criminal law – Aggravated defilement – Sentencing principles – Plea of guilty as mitigation – Appellate interference only where sentence illegal, wrong in principle or manifestly excessive – Sentencing precedents and guidelines.
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10 February 2026 |
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Appeal against a 23 years 6 months murder sentence dismissed; trial judge properly balanced mitigating and aggravating factors.
Criminal law – Murder – Sentence appeal – Scope of appellate review – Sentencing Guidelines and consistency – Mitigating (remand period, youth) and aggravating (gruesome killing) factors – 23 years 6 months not manifestly excessive.
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10 February 2026 |
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Convictions quashed due to irretrievable loss of trial record; retrial ordered, appellants may apply for bail.
Missing record of proceedings — duty of trial court/registrar to prepare and transmit record — right to appeal and fair hearing — remedy for lost records: retrial versus acquittal — factors: possibility of reconstruction, gravity of offence, time served, prejudice to accused and victims.
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10 February 2026 |
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The appellant’s conviction and adult sentence were quashed because he was a juvenile when the offences occurred.
Criminal law – juvenile offenders – age determination and medical evidence – detention and remand of juveniles – remit to Family and Children Court for sentencing under the Children Act – conviction and sentence quashed for procedural breaches and miscarriage of justice.
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10 February 2026 |
| January 2026 |
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Court granted stay of execution pending appeal after finding a prima facie case, risk of irreparable harm, and favourable balance of convenience.
Civil procedure – Stay of execution pending appeal – Requirements: notice of appeal; prima facie likelihood of success; irreparable harm/nugatory appeal; balance of convenience; promptness – Rule 42 High Court prerequisite – Execution for costs and threat of civil imprisonment.
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30 January 2026 |
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Second appeal dismissed: registered title upheld; appellant failed to prove lawful occupancy or justify retrial; costs awarded to respondent.
Land law – title vs alleged kibanja interest; burden of proof on occupant to show legality of occupancy; credibility and authenticity of sale agreement; locus in quo – necessity and record; second appeal scope; procedural competence of preliminary objection under Rule 102(b); limitation of actions.
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30 January 2026 |
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Whether a stay of execution is appropriate where the appeal was withdrawn by consent and the property already sold.
Civil procedure – Stay of execution – Requirements: existence of appeal, likelihood of success, irreparable harm, balance of convenience, absence of delay – Withdrawal by consent – Execution completed and property transferred to third-party – Reinstatement vs set-aside.
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27 January 2026 |
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Slip rule inapplicable to change costs order where the court’s intention to award costs to respondents was clear.
Civil procedure — Judicature (Court of Appeal) Rules, Rule 36 (slip rule) — Correction of judgments — Clerical/arithmetical mistakes vs substantive errors — Costs orders — Election petition appeal.
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27 January 2026 |
