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Citation
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Judgment date
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| March 2026 |
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Applicants failed to show exceptional circumstances to admit an LCII judgment as fresh evidence or to amend their appeal.
Civil procedure — Additional evidence on appeal (Order 43 r.22) — Exceptional circumstances required — Newly discovered evidence, relevance, credibility, and impact — Authentication of documents — Amendment of memorandum of appeal.
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17 March 2026 |
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Consent judgment set aside for breach of arbitration clause, lack of Attorney General approval and absence of council mandate.
Civil procedure – Consent judgments – Setting aside registrar-endorsed consent; Arbitration clause and ouster of court jurisdiction; Public contracts – Attorney General legal advice requirement; Authority to bind public university – University Council mandate; Order 9 r.12 & Order 50 r.2 CPR applicability.
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12 March 2026 |
| January 2026 |
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The court upheld the trial finding of respondent’s customary ownership and dismissed appellants’ challenges, including limitation and citizenship arguments.
Land law – customary land ownership – inheritance and letters of administration; Citizenship – relevance to customary ownership where not pleaded; Limitation Act – accrual of cause of action and continuous trespass; Jurisdiction – Magistrate Grade One and pecuniary value; Invalidity of local allocations – District Land Board authority; Evidentiary evaluation and burden of proof on appeal.
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29 January 2026 |
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Applicant substituted as legal representative; respondents substituted as intermeddlers so execution may proceed.
Execution — Substitution of parties — Order 24 CPR and section 37(1) CPA — Intermeddlers — Service by substituted service — Limitation/12-year bar — Abatement for want of prosecution — Role of substitution stage vis-à-vis substantive challenge to arbitral award.
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20 January 2026 |
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Applicant’s illness and counsel’s mistake amounted to sufficient cause to set aside dismissal and reinstate the appeal.
Civil procedure — Set aside dismissal for want of prosecution — Sufficient cause: illness and mistake of counsel — Section 98 CPA & Order 9 r27 CPR — Right to be heard — Security for costs requires separate chamber summons (Order 26 CPR).
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13 January 2026 |
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An uncommissioned affidavit renders a notice of motion incompetent and cannot be cured by Article 126(2)(e).
Civil procedure – Affidavits – requirement for commissioning by commissioner for oaths – uncommissioned affidavit not an affidavit – notice of motion unsupported by affidavit incompetent – Article 126(2)(e) cannot cure fatal affidavit defect.
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13 January 2026 |
| December 2025 |
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Court renewed and extended expired letters of administration for two years after finding sufficient cause and beneficiary consent.
Succession Act s.337(2) – Renewal and extension of Letters of Administration – Sufficient cause for extension – Beneficiaries' consent – Compliance with grant conditions – Leave to file inventory and final account.
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29 December 2025 |
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Death of a co-administrator renders a grant inoperative; court may revoke and regrant letters to fit applicants.
Succession law – Revocation and regrant of letters of administration – Death of co-administrator renders grant inoperative (Section 230) – Court may appoint fit and proper persons – Family nomination – Limited duration of grant – Costs from estate.
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29 December 2025 |
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Court renewed expired letters of administration and extended time to file inventory and final account for two years.
Succession law – Renewal of expired Letters of Administration – Extension of time to file inventory and final account – S.337(2) Succession Act – sufficient cause includes beneficiary consent and administrator's compliance – costs from estate.
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29 December 2025 |
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Court extended expired letters of administration two years where beneficiaries consented and delay was justified.
Succession Act s.337(2) – Extension/renewal of Letters of Administration – sufficient cause requires beneficiaries' best interests, compliance with law and consent – late filing due to administrator abroad – costs from estate.
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29 December 2025 |
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Court renewed expired Letters of Administration for two years after finding sufficient cause and beneficiary consent.
Succession law – Renewal and extension of Letters of Administration under s.337(2) – Adequacy of beneficiary consent, compliance, and ongoing administration as sufficient cause – Conditions: filing inventory and final account; costs from estate.
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29 December 2025 |
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Court renewed letters of administration for two years where beneficiary consent obtained and estate distribution impeded by misappropriation.
Succession Act s.337(2) – Renewal/extension of Letters of Administration – sufficient cause – beneficiary consent – estate misappropriation delaying distribution – leave to file inventory and accounts – costs from estate.
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29 December 2025 |
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Court extended expired letters of administration and held pension entitlements unaffected by the expiry.
Succession Act – Renewal/extension of Letters of Administration – S.337(2) – Pension payments exempt from expiry – S.256(4) – Sufficient cause for extension; beneficiary consent; administrator compliance; improper suspension of estate accounts by banks.
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29 December 2025 |
| November 2025 |
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Court convicted three brothers of murder on strong circumstantial evidence, threats and common intention; sentenced each to 25 years.
Criminal law – Murder – Elements: death, unlawful act, malice aforethought and causation – Post-mortem evidence establishing violent cause of death; Circumstantial evidence and visual identification – reliability and conditions for correct identification; Evidence of prior threats admissible to show intent; Principle of common intention (Penal Code s.20) – joint liability where accused act in concert; Sentencing – application of 2013 Sentencing Guidelines, aggravating and mitigating factors, remand credit.
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14 November 2025 |
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Circumstantial evidence and prior threats established common intention; the accused were convicted of murder and sentenced to lengthy imprisonment.
Criminal law – Murder – Elements: death, unlawful act, malice aforethought, causation, accused’s participation. Circumstantial evidence and visual identification – conditions for reliable ID and requirement to exclude reasonable alternative hypotheses. Common intention (s.20 Penal Code Act) – joint liability. Post mortem evidence – cervical fracture consistent with deliberate twisting
Sentencing – application of 2013 sentencing guidelines; remand deduction
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14 November 2025 |
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Prosecution proved death and causation but failed to place the accused at the scene beyond reasonable doubt, leading to acquittals.
Criminal law – visual identification – caution where witnesses first saw assailants during a chaotic multi-person attack; factors affecting reliability
Homicide – causation – skull fracture complicated by infection resulting in fatal meningitis
Evidence – alibi and possible motive (land dispute) can undermine prosecution identification evidence
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14 November 2025 |
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Canine evidence and prior threats linked A1 to premeditated murder and arson; A2 acquitted for lack of evidence.
Criminal law – Murder and arson – Circumstantial evidence – Canine/scent evidence admissibility and weight – Prior threats as corroboration of intent – Alibi defence – Sentencing under statutory guidelines.
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14 November 2025 |
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Circumstantial and reliable sniffer‑dog evidence convicted four accused of double murder; two accused acquitted for lack of proof.
Criminal law – Murder – elements: death, unlawful act, malice aforethought, causation and identity of perpetrators
Evidence – Circumstantial evidence and alibi – when circumstantial proof can displace an alibi
Evidence – Sniffer‑dog evidence – admissibility, reliability and evaluation criteria (handler qualifications, scene preservation, dog record)
Sentencing – Discretion under Penal Code and sentencing guidelines; aggravating and mitigating factors; credit for remand time
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14 November 2025 |
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Circumstantial and medical evidence proved the respondent guilty of murder; sentenced to 35 years, remand credited.
Criminal law – Murder – elements: death, unlawful act, malice aforethought, causation. Medical causation – gastric perforation, peritonitis and sepsis as fatal consequences of assault. Circumstantial evidence – standard: no reasonable hypothesis of innocence
Alibi – proximity in time and place may render alibi weak
Sentencing – Sentencing Guidelines 2013 starting point 35 years; mitigation for first offender and remand credit
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13 November 2025 |
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Whether canine and prior-threat evidence sufficed to prove the accused’s participation in a murder beyond reasonable doubt.
Criminal law – Murder – essential ingredients: death, unlawful act, malice aforethought, and perpetrator. Forensic pathology – post-mortem findings supporting unlawful death and malice. Circumstantial evidence – sniffer dog (canine) evidence: admissibility, handler qualifications, scene preservation, and limits on identification. Evidence of prior threats: admissibility but variable probative weight, need for corroboration. Reasonable doubt – alternative suspect and absence of direct evidence require acquittal
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13 November 2025 |
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Prosecution proved aggravated defilement of a five-year-old; accused convicted and sentenced to 32 years, remand deducted.
Criminal law – Aggravated defilement – elements: victim under 14, sexual act, perpetrator identification – medical evidence and witness corroboration.* Evidence – identification and frame-up allegations – neighbour familiarity, plausibility assessment of alleged grudge.* Sentencing – application of Sentencing Guidelines, consideration of aggravating/mitigating factors, deduction of remand time.
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13 November 2025 |
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Court convicted the accused of murder based on reliable eyewitness identification and sentenced him to 18 years, less remand.
Criminal law – Murder: elements – death, unlawful act, malice aforethought, causation; Visual identification – single eyewitness reliability, conditions of observation, caution required; Alibi – prosecution’s duty to disprove or adduce placing evidence; Evidentiary gaps – non‑production of knife and caution statement considered but not fatal; Sentencing – application of sentencing guidelines, aggravating/mitigating factors and remand deduction.
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6 November 2025 |
| October 2025 |
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Circumstantial evidence failed to exclude reasonable hypotheses of innocence; accused acquitted of aggravated robbery.
Criminal law – Aggravated robbery – elements: theft, violence/threat, possession of deadly weapon, and participation by accused
Evidence – Circumstantial evidence – must be strong and exclude reasonable hypotheses of innocence
Evidence – Identification – absence of positive identification fatal to prosecution where case is circumstantial
Evidence – Flight/conduct at arrest – cannot alone constitute sufficient incriminating evidence without corroboration
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21 October 2025 |
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Accused acquitted: prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case due to lack of identification and evidential nexus.
Criminal law – No‑case-to‑answer – test for prima facie case (Uganda v Alfred Ateu; Bhatt v R). Identification evidence – absence of direct identification or basis for suspicion insufficient to proceed. Evidential nexus – mere arrest and unproduced alleged weapon do not establish participation in murder or aggravated robbery
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20 October 2025 |
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Possession/use of a deceased’s SIM card alone insufficient to prove accused guilty of murder and aggravated robbery.
Criminal law – Murder and Aggravated Robbery – Circumstantial evidence – Use/possession of deceased’s SIM card – Malice aforethought established as to killing but insufficient evidence to link accused to offences; alibi and alternative hypothesis considered.
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20 October 2025 |
| September 2025 |
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Court convicted four of eight accused for murder, aggravated robbery and attempted murder; four acquitted for insufficient evidence.
Criminal law – murder – elements: death, unlawful act, malice aforethought and causation – proven by post-mortems and eyewitness evidence. Visual identification – caution required; court to assess light, distance, familiarity, duration, number of assailants and masking
Alibi – prosecution duty to disprove; failure to disprove requires acquittal. Aggravated robbery – theft during violent attack with deadly weapons; proved. Attempted murder – intention and overt act established by assaults on survivor. Common intention – participation in same criminal enterprise renders participants liable for related offences
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19 September 2025 |
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Court set aside an ex parte judgment where applicants proved non-service of summons and sufficient cause for non-appearance.
Civil Procedure – Setting aside ex parte judgment – Effective service of summons – Sufficient cause for non-appearance – Consent to judgment – Rights of parties where non-service alleged.
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10 September 2025 |
| August 2025 |
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A claim was dismissed where plaintiffs lacked both authority and personal interest in land registered solely to the defendant.
Civil procedure – cause of action – standing to sue – plaint must disclose plaintiff's legal or equitable interest – requirement for power of attorney when suing on behalf of another – dismissal of suit lacking cause of action.
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29 August 2025 |
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A customary gift of land does not require a written deed and may be proven by exclusive possession and use by the donee.
Land law – Customary land – Gift intervivos – Requirements for valid gift of land under customary law – Evidence of exclusive possession – Appeal – Grounds of appeal must be specific and not general.
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22 August 2025 |
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Technical errors in court filings may be cured to allow substantive justice, with procedural remedies taking precedence over strict technicalities.
Civil procedure – execution – defective written statement of defence – validation and curability of technical defects – powers and jurisdiction of registrars – abuse of court process – contempt – importance of substantive justice over technicalities.
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12 August 2025 |
| July 2025 |
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Court affirms eviction in favor of applicant following unchallenged judicial sale, dismissing objections of pending appeal and procedural issues.
Civil Procedure – Judicial sale – Execution of decree – Warrant of vacant possession – Legal effect of pending appeal on execution process.
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25 July 2025 |
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22 July 2025 |
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22 July 2025 |
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22 July 2025 |
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Court grants two-year extension for both administration and filing deadlines in estate matter with beneficiary consent.
Succession Law - Extension of Letters of Administration - Time extension for filing inventory and accounts - Beneficiary consent and interest considerations.
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17 July 2025 |
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17 July 2025 |
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The High Court quashed a conviction based on a defective guilty plea and a failure to consider remand period.
Criminal Law – Appeal against conviction – Legality of plea taking – Conviction based on defective plea – Remand period consideration.
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16 July 2025 |
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16 July 2025 |
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14 July 2025 |
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14 July 2025 |
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14 July 2025 |
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14 July 2025 |
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14 July 2025 |
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Loss of employment does not relieve a borrower of repayment obligations under a personal loan agreement.
Contract law – Loan agreements – Whether loss of employment frustrates contract or relieves borrower of liability – Unsecured loans – Personal liability upon default – Award of interest and costs.
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14 July 2025 |
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A supplier was awarded payment for spares and services provided under an oral contract, with corporate liability limited to the company beneficiary.
Contract – Oral contract for supply of goods and services – Breach of contract – Corporate personality – Proof of debt and services rendered – Remedies and interest.
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11 July 2025 |
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Extension of time granted for filing estate inventory and accounts due to diligent asset distribution efforts.
Succession Law – Time extension for filing inventory and final accounts – Sufficient cause for delay – Beneficiaries' consent.
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10 July 2025 |
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The court granted a two-year extension of the Letters of Administration, emphasizing beneficiary interest and legal compliance.
Succession Law – Extension of Letters of Administration – Sufficient cause for extension – Interest of beneficiaries and compliance with law.
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8 July 2025 |
| June 2025 |
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30 June 2025 |
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30 June 2025 |
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30 June 2025 |