High Court of Uganda

The High Court of Uganda is the third court of record in order of hierarchy and has unlimited original jurisdiction, which means that it can try any case of any value or crime of any magnitude. Appeals from all Magistrates Courts go to the High Court. 

The High Court is headed by the Honorable Principal Judge who is responsible for the administration of the court and has supervisory powers over Magistrate's courts. 

Physical address
Plot 2, the Square Kampala
35 judgments

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35 judgments
Citation
Judgment date
December 2015
Court validated the plaintiff's purchase of 105 acres, granting him ownership and restraining defendants from eviction attempts.
Land law – purchase of property – validity of sale agreements – rights of bonafide purchaser without notice – administration of estate.
22 December 2015
The High Court quashed the UPC party presidential election, holding it violated constitutional requirements and internal party procedures.
Political Parties – Internal democracy – Electoral Commission powers – Party constitutional compliance – Legality of party election procedures – Judicial review – Certiorari – Declaration – Order of prohibition – Uganda Peoples’ Congress (UPC) constitution – Nullity of irregular party presidential election.
11 December 2015
Will signed by drafter with testator’s mark was admissible; testator could not bequeath land he no longer owned; trespass and damages upheld.
Illiterates Protection Act — statutory formalities for marks and verification; Succession Act s.50 — wills executed by mark; Testamentary disposition limited to property owned by testator; Trespass — entry and destruction of crops; Appellate review of damages and costs.
9 December 2015
The bank was found negligent for failing to verify customer details, causing fraud and plaintiff's financial loss.
Banking Law - negligence - duty of care in account opening - customer verification - fraud prevention
7 December 2015
The court affirms equal share in a jointly owned property despite disputes over financial contributions.
Property Law – Joint ownership – Determination of equal entitlement – Non-monetary contributions considered in property disputes.
1 December 2015
Equal ownership of property upheld due to joint registration, despite lack of monetary contributions.
Property law – Joint proprietors – Equal shares in property – Non-monetary contributions – Fraud allegations must be proven.
1 December 2015
November 2015
A vesting order was set aside where the court found an error in the land description and failure to hear affected persons.
Land law – Vesting orders – Review of court order – Error apparent on the face of the record – Aggrieved persons not made parties – Requirement for parties in occupation to be heard before vesting order granted.
30 November 2015
The court upheld the decision that the bank was negligent in handling the fraudulent cheque transaction, warranting compensation to the respondent.
Banking Law – Negligence – Fraudulent Transactions – Duty of Care in handling account transactions
13 November 2015
Appellant failed to prove land ownership; long uninterrupted occupation and credible title evidence favoured the respondent.
Land law – proof of title – burden of proof on claimant to establish ownership on balance of probabilities; long uninterrupted possession and use as evidential support for title. Document authenticity – allegation of forgery must be substantiated; credibility of witnesses and contemporaneous conduct are key. First appeal – fresh review of evidence and independent assessment of credibility.
10 November 2015
October 2015
The appeal was allowed as lower court erred in evaluating evidence and didn't conduct a locus in quo visit in land dispute.
Land law – Determination of possessory interests – Evaluating alleged fraud in land ownership – Role of locus in quo visits in land disputes.
30 October 2015
Land qualifies as family land only if spouses ordinarily reside together on it and derive their sustenance from it.
* Land law – Family land – Section 39(1)(c)(i) Land Act 1998 – Requirements: spouse, ordinary residence together, and derivation of sustenance – all three required. * Evidence – First appeal – re-evaluation on balance of probabilities. * Consent to sale – not required where land is not family land.
28 October 2015
The court upheld former employees' claim for severance packages based on a binding board resolution.
Employment Law – Severance Package – Employment Contract – Board Resolutions – Special Damages – General Damages
26 October 2015
Court declares plaintiffs lawful owners, voids defendants' title due to fraud and awards damages.
Land Law – Fraudulent acquisition of title – Validity of land titles – Proof of fraud in land acquisition – Remedies for fraudulent land registration
22 October 2015
September 2015
The court declared NSSF’s collection of contributions from excepted employees ultra vires and ordered a refund with statutory interest.
Judicial review – National Social Security Fund (NSSF) – excepted employment – compulsory and voluntary contributions – ultra vires – refund of unlawful collections – legitimate expectation – public law remedies – statutory interpretation – pension schemes – unjust enrichment – public sector employment.
29 September 2015
Court overturns land judgment due to prior mediation decisions and procedural errors in evidence evaluation.
Land Law – res judicata – improper evaluation of evidence during trial – failure to consider ADR resolutions.
28 September 2015
Respondent entitled to relief where a share-cap increase unlawfully diluted holdings and amounted to oppressive conduct.
Companies Act – increase of share capital (ss.63,65) – late registration is irregularity not nullity; Oppression – minority shareholder relief where share-cap imposed to dilute majority voting power and directors ratified decision; Equity – laches inapplicable absent unreasonable delay or prejudice; Limitation – defence must be pleaded and not ordinarily raised first on appeal.
23 September 2015
The appellate court set aside the lower court's decision and ruled in favor of the appellants regarding land ownership.
Land Law – Customary ownership – Inheritance and gift inter vivos – Evaluation of evidence on trespass and ownership rights.
18 September 2015
A party member has standing and has disclosed a cause of action over alleged intra‑party election irregularities; preliminary objections dismissed.
Political party law — Membership rights under party constitution — Locus standi of a party member to sue over alleged intra‑party electoral irregularities; Civil procedure — Preliminary objections — Whether plaint discloses cause of action; Joinder — Appropriateness of resolving joinder and fact‑intensive disputes at preliminary stage; Interplay between party internal processes and Electoral Commission timelines — matters unsuitable for determination on preliminary objection.
17 September 2015
August 2015
The court found the dispute concerned a motorable road and overturned unjustified damages awarded by the lower court.
Land law – public roads – evidence of existence – award of damages for encroachment – evaluation of evidence.
24 August 2015
The estate of late Sunder Kaka Wallia is liable for misappropriated funds intended as company investment.
Fraudulent Misappropriation – Company Law – Binding Agreements – Legal Entity Doctrine – Creditor's Claim Against Estate.
18 August 2015
July 2015
A district survey found the respondent's fence encroached on the appellant's land; fence to be relocated and costs borne equally.
Land law – boundary dispute – trespass – effect of erroneous prior survey and mislaid boundary marks – district surveyor report – remedy by re-establishing boundary and relocating fence – costs each party to bear.
14 July 2015
A journalist's suspension from Parliament was quashed for lack of proper authority and denial of a fair hearing.
Administrative law – judicial review – media freedom – suspension of parliamentary journalists – right to fair hearing – authority to suspend – ultra vires decision – constitutional rights of journalists.
3 July 2015
June 2015
Court struck out statute-barred, fictitious fatal accident claims and ordered respondents’ counsel to personally pay costs.
Civil procedure – locus standi – fatal accident claims – requirement for pleadings to show basis of suit – time limits for actions under Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act – personal costs against counsel for unmeritorious, statute-barred suits.
29 June 2015
The suit was found to be an abuse of court process due to duplicative litigation concerning the same estate.
Civil Procedure - Lis Pendens - Abuse of Process - Multiple suits concerning estate properties - Jurisdiction - Substantially the same parties and issues.
8 June 2015
Letters of Administration revoked for omission of beneficiaries and failure to exhibit an inventory; homestead occupation protected.
Succession law – revocation of Letters of Administration for just cause (concealment of beneficiaries; failure to exhibit inventory) – validity of a will questioned where attestors absent – occupation rights of surviving occupant – procedure for selecting administrators and filing inventory.
8 June 2015
Possession and credible customary evidence established ownership; town council failed to prove public title; appeal dismissed.
Customary land – proof of customary tenure by possession and evidence of caretaking and burial sites; Public land – burden of proving government ownership and need for documentary proof; Transfers of customary tenure – effect of lack of prescribed authority approval under Land Reform Decree; Compensation – requirement for prompt, fair compensation where land is taken and third-party interests exist.
4 June 2015
May 2015
Procedural objections regarding leave to appeal must be raised before the appeal court, not via separate applications.
Appellate procedure – Right of appeal – Whether leave to appeal is required from the Magistrate’s Court – Appropriate forum for raising procedural objections – Abuse of court process by multiple applications.
3 May 2015
April 2015
Court declined to grant a stay of execution where the applicant failed to prove irreparable harm and was not in active possession.
Civil procedure – Stay of execution – Conditions for grant – Irreparable harm – Security for performance – Substantive justice versus procedural technicalities.
30 April 2015
The plaintiff's construction on a gazetted road reserve entitles him to damages due to the local council's negligent plan approval.
Real estate and land law - road reserves - construction encroachment - government authority liability - compensation claims
16 April 2015
Appellate court affirms trial finding that plaintiff proved land ownership; appeal dismissed with costs.
Land law – ownership – evaluation of oral and documentary evidence; altered document diminishing probative value; locus in quo evidence – relevance where dispute is ownership rather than boundary; appellate review – fresh scrutiny but will not disturb findings supported on balance of probabilities.
2 April 2015
March 2015
Once a certificate of title is duly admitted at trial and not procured by fraud, it is conclusive evidence of land ownership.
Land law – registration of title – certificate of title admitted in evidence – whether expunging such evidence at judgment was proper – procedural law – pleadings – whether listing documents in amended plaint suffices for notice – effect of registration under the Registration of Titles Act – conclusive ownership absent fraud – injunction against trespass.
17 March 2015
A valid gift inter vivos prevails over a will not yet operative; procedural irregularities alone do not impeach registered title.
Land law – succession – gift inter vivos – certificate of succession – removal of caveat – locus standi – fraud – registered land title – procedural irregularities – rectification by registrar – remedies.
3 March 2015
February 2015
A court directed harmonized verification and transparency in war loss compensation, stressing adherence to substitution procedures and substantive justice.
Civil Procedure – representative actions – locus standi – substitution of plaintiffs – consent judgment – execution and verification of claims – compensation for war losses – harmonization of claimant verification – role of government and local officials – procedural propriety vs. substantive justice – disbursement of public funds.
6 February 2015
Prosecution proved unlawful killing with malice aforethought; eyewitness identification and corroboration sufficed to convict two accused of murder.
* Criminal law – Murder – proof of death, unlawfulness and malice aforethought – inference from nature of injuries and weapons used. * Evidence – identification by a single eyewitness – conditions for reliability and need for caution. * Evidence – accomplice testimony – need for caution and corroboration; court may convict on other credible evidence. * Defence – alibi – prosecution duty to negative alibi and evaluation of credibility of alibi witnesses.
6 February 2015
January 2015
The court reversed a prior ruling, asserting the Appellant's legal land title over the Respondent's equitable claim.
Property Law - land ownership dispute - equity versus legal title - bona fide purchase - fraud claims.
8 January 2015