HC: Criminal Division (Uganda)

The Criminal Division is Responsible for hearing all serious criminal offences referred to it by the Magistrates' Courts. According to the Principal Judge's Circular, except for Commercial Court Judges who must attend to only Commercial Court cases, the rest of the Judges of the High Court who are based in Kampala are members of the Criminal Division irrespective of the other Divisions of the High Court that they belong to.

Each of the above judges is supposed to do, at least, one High Court Criminal Session in a year at Kampala

Physical address
High Court Building at Plot 2, the Square.
8 judgments
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8 judgments
Citation
Judgment date
April 2024
Accused remanded over 180 days without committal entitled to mandatory bail under Bail Guideline Rule 10(1).
Bail – Mandatory bail under Bail Guidelines Rule 10(1) – entitlement where remand exceeds 180 days without committal; Constitutional right to bail (Art.23(6)(a)); Court’s discretion to impose reasonable conditions despite seriousness of charges.
29 April 2024
29 April 2024
19 April 2024
Serious medical conditions can constitute exceptional circumstances justifying bail if sureties and reporting conditions mitigate flight or interference risk.
Bail — discretion under Article 23(6)(a) and s.15(1) TIA; exceptional circumstances — medical condition as ground for bail; evidentiary value of prison medical report; requirement to show low risk of absconding or witness interference; imposition of conditions to protect administration of justice.
16 April 2024
Accused remanded over 60 days without trial is entitled to mandatory bail; court imposed reasonable conditions for release.
• Criminal procedure – Bail – Mandatory release where accused remanded over 60 days without trial commencement (Article 23(6)(b); Rule 9 bail practice directions). • Constitutional rights – Presumption of innocence relevant to bail but grant not automatic. • Committal to High Court – Does not negate mandatory bail entitlement if 60 days have already lapsed. • Bail conditions – Court may impose reasonable monetary and reporting conditions to secure attendance.
16 April 2024
10 April 2024
9 April 2024
Appellate court upheld attempted murder convictions, dismissed procedural challenge, and reduced sentence to credit remand time.
Criminal law – Attempted murder – proof of mens rea and actus reus may be inferred from weapon use, wounds and conduct; Criminal procedure – Part-heard trial – successor magistrate may act on recorded evidence under s.144 Magistrates Courts Act; Sentencing – Remand credit – Article 23(8) Constitution requires arithmetic deduction of time on remand.
4 April 2024