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
23 judgments

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23 judgments
Citation
Judgment date
December 2017
Fraudulent conduct in property transactions bars claims for compensation under the 'ex turpi causa' principle.
Property law – Breach of contract – Fraudulent sale of property – 'Ex turpi causa non oritur actio' applied to dismiss claim.
21 December 2017
Appellants’ customary and purchase claims failed; respondent’s District Land Board allocation and freehold upheld; appeal dismissed.
Land law – urban/public land – allocation by District Land Board; customary tenure claims in urban areas; bona fide purchaser for value – due diligence and notice; appellate re-appreciation of evidence; reliance on inspection report and locus visit.
7 December 2017
October 2017
Appellant failed to prove exclusive ownership; land held in trust for absent brothers and appeal dismissed with costs.
Land law – ownership dispute – evidence of familial custodianship and power of attorney – family land definition (s.38A(4) Land Act) – limitation and adverse possession – appellate re-evaluation of facts.
14 October 2017
An application supported by an unauthorized affidavit is incompetent and must be dismissed with costs.
Civil Procedure – Affidavit – competency – authority to depose affidavit – corporate applicant – recognized agent – power of attorney – dismissal for want of prosecution.
2 October 2017
September 2017
Appeal dismissed: alleged oral gift unproven; long possession found to be caretaking, not ownership or lawful occupant.
Land law – ownership disputes – oral inter vivos gift – evidentiary burden and credibility on first appeal; possession vs caretaking; lawful occupant under Land Act s.29 and applicability to unregistered land; assessment of material contradictions in evidence.
14 September 2017
Whether the borrower repaid the loan and whether the bank lawfully sold the pledged land, considering penalties and redemption rights.
Land law – loan repayment and enforcement; loan account v savings account statements; calculation of outstanding including penalties and recovery costs; equity of redemption and contractual sale-on-default clause; allegation of sale of wrong security; first appeal review.
14 September 2017
Title obtained through fraudulent misrepresentation and irregular surveying was rightly nullified; appeal dismissed with costs.
Land law – Registered title – Setting aside registration – Fraud by transferee versus mere procedural irregularity; Survey irregularities and creation of plots outside survey instructions; Authority to allocate land – role of General Purpose Committee and Town Clerk; Relief – cancellation of allocation, injunctions and costs.
14 September 2017
Appellate court affirmed respondent's ownership of land, dismissing appellants' challenge and awarding costs.
Land law – ownership and title – proof of ownership by sale agreement and credible witness testimony; Evidence – appellate re-evaluation of trial evidence; Admissibility – reliance on extraneous documents; Civil procedure – first appellate duty to rehear and re-assess evidence; Unrepresented litigants – allowance in assessment of evidence.
14 September 2017
July 2017
Court finds fraudulent land transfer and orders defendants to compensate the plaintiff and cancel the fraudulent registration.
Land Law – Fraudulent transfer of title – Money lending vs. sale – Bona fide purchaser – Trespass
14 July 2017
Application dismissed as res judicata where the matters had already been decided and partially executed in an earlier suit.
Civil procedure – res judicata – abuse of court process – effect of filing a fresh application on matters already adjudicated – execution of court judgments.
11 July 2017
June 2017

 

29 June 2017
Respondent proved ownership; locus in quo procedure flawed; appellants' ancestor was a licensee; damages reduced to UGX 1,000,000.
Land law – ownership dispute – burden of proof under Evidence Act s.110 – assessment of oral testimony; locus in quo – procedural requirements and proper record-keeping; licensee vs proprietor – no proprietary interest passes; award of general damages – reduction for lack of evidential basis.
14 June 2017
The LC.III Court's decision was void due to jurisdictional overreach; retrial ordered in a competent court.
Civil Procedure - Jurisdiction - Revision of local council court decisions - Legality of decisions made without jurisdiction
2 June 2017
May 2017
Court affirmed enforceability of land sale contract involving estate property, requiring full transfer or compensation.
Land sale contract validity – Administrator powers – Beneficiary's capacity to sell estate property – Remedies from breach of sales contract.
29 May 2017
Court dismisses res judicata suit over government property allocation, enforcing policy guidelines favoring civil servant tenants.
Civil Procedure – Res Judicata – Property Allocation by Government – Lawful Occupant Tenancy Rights
4 May 2017
April 2017
Court finds title transfer to first defendant fraudulent, awards damages, and upholds third defendant's title as bonafide purchaser.
Property law – fraudulent title transfer – estate administration – bonafide purchaser without notice – understatements in property valuation.
25 April 2017
Court rules unlawful seizure of vehicle and arrest without reasonable grounds.
Customs law - seizure of goods - lawful arrest - burden of proof in civil cases.
25 April 2017
The appeal to stop kibanja construction was dismissed, affirming tenants' occupancy rights over milo titleholders.
Land Law - tenancy by occupancy - rights of lawful occupant vis-à-vis milo titleholder - construction on kibanja without landlord consent.
4 April 2017
March 2017
A sale of undivided shares by tenants in common cannot be perfected without partition and formal consent of all co-owners.
Land law – tenancy in common – sale of undivided shares – requirement for partition and consent of all co-owners – illegality of transferring a deceased's share without letters of administration – vesting order prerequisites.
23 March 2017
Appellant's appeal succeeds on issues of procedural cost imposition and denial of hearing during consolidation.
Civil Procedure – Consolidation of applications – Procedural errors in judgment – Award of costs without justification.
23 March 2017
High Court reversed Chief Magistrate's decision, upholding the appellant's ownership of the disputed land.
Land Law – Trespass – Appeal – Evaluation of evidence – Allegations of bias and procedural error in judicial determinations.
6 March 2017
February 2017
Guardianship application dismissed for failure to meet mandatory residence, clearance and probation/specialist recommendation requirements.
Children — Guardianship — Welfare of the child paramount; Guardianship requirements under Children (Amendment) Act 2016 ss.43A, 43F — continuous residence, criminal record clearance, and probation/social welfare recommendation mandatory; foreign‑based applicant’s financial support insufficient; application dismissed.
28 February 2017
Nikah recognised as valid; civil marriage converted status; divorce granted for desertion with property share, alimony, and costs awarded.
• Family law – validity of Islamic Nikah versus civil marriage – recognition and effect of subsequent civil solemnisation • Divorce – grounds: adultery not proved; desertion (including constructive desertion) established • Matrimonial property – categorisation; requirement to prove direct or quantifiable indirect financial contribution; short marriage considerations • Reliefs – in specie property award, valuation process, lump-sum rehabilitative alimony, costs
17 February 2017