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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.
Visit website
https://judiciary.go.ug/data/smenu/13/Criminal%20Division.html
6 judgments
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6 judgments
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February 2026
Uganda v Katanga Molly and Others (Criminal Session Case 100 of 2024) [2026] UGHCCRD 6 (26 February 2026)
Prima facie case found: A1 for murder; A2–A5 for destroying evidence and being accessories after the fact.
Criminal law — Prima facie case; murder — circumstantial evidence (DNA, gunshot residue, injury); doctrine of last seen; destroying evidence (s.89) — 'thing of any kind' wide construction; accessory after the fact (s.189).
 26 February 2026
Ochadid Jude v Uganda (Criminal Miscellaneous Application No. 309 of 2025) [2026] UGHCCRD 3 (18 February 2026)
Bail denied despite adequate sureties because the applicant was committed for trial and faces grave charges creating high absconding risk.
Criminal procedure — Bail — Constitutional right to apply for bail vs. court’s discretion — Trial on Indictments Act ss.15–16 and Bail Guidelines — Fixed place of abode and substantial sureties — Mandatory release after 180 days — Impact of committal and gravity of offence on bail.
 18 February 2026
Uganda v Olimu Charles Sipapa and Another (Miscellaneous Application 642 of 2025) [2026] UGHCCRD 1 (16 February 2026)
Pre‑conviction sale of seized assets refused; exhibited cash ordered deposited into ODPP Asset Recovery Fund to preserve value.
Asset recovery – Pre‑conviction disposal of exhibits – Trial on Indictments Act s130(1) – Burden and standard of proof for tainted property – Presumption of innocence and fair trial – Deposit of exhibited cash into ODPP Asset Recovery Management Fund – Exceptions for rapidly depreciating or perishable items.
 16 February 2026
Wasswa Ronald v Uganda (Criminal Miscellaneous Application No. 822 of 2025) [2026] UGHCCRD 2 (12 February 2026)
Applicant entitled to mandatory bail after remand exceeding 180 days; court set cash deposit, surety bonds and reporting conditions.
Constitutional law – Article 23(6)(c) – Mandatory bail where remand exceeds 180 days for offences triable only by the High Court – sufficiency of sureties – conditions for release on bail.
 12 February 2026
January 2026
Mutyaba Geofrey Atias Kananasi v Uganda (Criminal Case No. AA 011 of 2025 (arising); Criminal Miscellaneous Application No. 0700 of 2025) [2026] UGHCCRD 5 (22 January 2026)
Applicant with serious medical condition granted bail pending trial as an exceptional circumstance with substantial sureties.
Criminal law — Bail pending trial — Discretion under Article 23(6) — Trial on Indictments Act (exceptional circumstances for severe offences) — Serious medical condition (recurrent hypoglycaemia, low BMI) as exceptional circumstance — Sufficiency of sureties — Bail granted with monetary and reporting conditions.
 22 January 2026
Oworo Cosmos v Uganda (Criminal Miscellaneous Application 63 of 2025) [2026] UGHCCRD 4 (22 January 2026)
An accused committed for trial on a capital charge must prove exceptional circumstances to obtain bail; humanitarian hardship alone is insufficient.
Criminal procedure – Bail pending trial for capital offences – Committal for trial requires accused to prove exceptional circumstances under the Trial on Indictments Act – Humanitarian hardship and lapse of time not automatically exceptional – Interest of justice and speedy trial paramount.
 22 January 2026