HC: Family Division (Uganda)

The Family Division was created in  April 2005 as a division of the high court that handles: Administration causes, Family causes, (Adoption, Guardianship, Affiliation/maintenance), Miscellaneous causes, Miscellaneous applications, Civil appeals, Civil suits, Originating summons, Civil revisions and Divorce cases.

Physical address
Makindye Chief Magistrates' Court at Mobutu Road .
809 judgments
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809 judgments
Citation
Judgment date
August 2024

 

29 August 2024

 

29 August 2024

 

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27 August 2024

 

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22 August 2024

 

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20 August 2024

 

5 August 2024
July 2024

 

31 July 2024

 

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1 July 2024

 

1 July 2024
June 2024

 

27 June 2024

 

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6 June 2024
May 2024

 

28 May 2024

 

27 May 2024

 

24 May 2024

 

21 May 2024

 

21 May 2024

 

20 May 2024
April 2024

 

30 April 2024
30 April 2024
The court upheld a temporary injunction protecting the estate from the applicant's dealings because competing grants risked irreparable loss.
Civil procedure – temporary injunction – preservation of status quo; Competing grants of letters of administration; Irreparable loss to estate and beneficiaries; Balance of convenience in administration disputes; Right of appeal from registrar's orders.
26 April 2024
26 April 2024
Valid marriage dissolved for adultery; disputed properties not matrimonial and corporate transfer to third respondent lawful.
Family law – validity of marriage where prior marriage later declared null – matrimonial property – criteria for determining matrimonial versus individual property; proprietary estoppel – representation, reliance and detriment; lawfulness of transfers by corporate owner; remedies on divorce (dissolution, property division, alimony, restitution).
25 April 2024
Guardianship confers parental responsibility, but a subsequent unrescinded adoption extinguishes those rights and prevents the requested declaration.
* Family law – guardianship – legal effect of guardianship order – grants parental responsibility until majority. * Family law – adoption – adoption order extinguishes prior parental and guardianship rights and creates new parental relationship. * Civil procedure – declaratory relief – burden of proof on applicant to show exercise of parental responsibilities; necessity of supporting evidence.
24 April 2024
Review dismissed: temporary injunction preserved status quo, no error apparent and factual possession dispute reserved for main suit.
* Civil procedure – Review under Section 82 C.P.A. and Order 46 – scope and limits of review (error apparent on face of record). * Interim relief – Temporary injunction – purpose to preserve status quo; not a final deprivation of title. * Evidence – Disputed factual issues (possession) require locus visit and resolution in main suit, not by review. * Affidavits – Technical inconsistency between "affirm" and "swear" does not render affidavit incurably defective. * Procedural law – Distinction between judicial review and civil review; time‑bar rules for judicial review inapplicable to Order 46 review.
24 April 2024
Applicant’s review succeeds: ex parte grant of letters of administration set aside due to forgery, lack of notice and concealment.
Review – administrative and probate matters – review of ex parte grant of Letters of Administration – grounds: lack of service, denial of right to be heard, alleged forgery of signature, concealment of material facts and pending litigation – powers to set aside orders and to direct surrender of letters and cancellation of land registry entries.
22 April 2024
No advocate-client relationship found; no conflict or witness disqualification, application dismissed with costs.
* Advocates' professional conduct – conflict of interest – whether prior meetings/engagement created advocate-client relationship and fiduciary duties. * Advocates' professional conduct – Regulation 4 & 9 – witness-disqualification where advocate may be required to give evidence. * Evidence – competency of affidavit deponent and need for written authorisation when swearing for others. * Formation of advocate-client relationship – formal retainer, conduct, and implied instruction.
22 April 2024

 

18 April 2024

 

18 April 2024
Respondent's sustained abusive false allegations constituted cruelty; marriage dissolved, petitioner awarded custody and majority of property.
* Family law — divorce — cruelty: repeated false allegations and abusive conduct can constitute cruelty warranting dissolution. * Family law — property division: land purchased before marriage may remain non-matrimonial, but spousal contributions to developments justify a proportionate award. * Children — custody: welfare of the child paramount; psychological harm from a parent's conduct warrants denial of primary custody. * Evidence: police/DPP investigative outcomes and audio recordings are probative in family disputes.
2 April 2024
March 2024
Petitioner proved adultery and cruelty; court granted decree nisi, awarded compensation and costs; Bukoto land referred to Land Division.
* Family Law – Divorce – Grounds: adultery and cruelty – circumstantial evidence and admissions can establish adultery. * Family Law – Cruelty – drug abuse, denial of conjugal rights, psychological abuse and conduct endangering spouse can constitute cruelty. * Matrimonial property – land registered in third party’s name; court will not adjudicate ownership where title is conclusive; refer to Land Division. * Civil procedure – electronic service (WhatsApp) accepted where respondent cannot be contacted by other means.
20 March 2024
Marriage dissolved for adultery and cruelty; petitioner granted primary custody and matrimonial land divided equally.
• Family law – Divorce – Grounds: adultery and cruelty – proof by admission and circumstantial evidence; • Children – Welfare principle paramount – primary custody to mother for young children and visitation to father; • Matrimonial property – Jointly registered title presumed joint beneficial ownership; Certificate of Title conclusive (Registration of Titles Act) leading to equal division absent proof of sole contribution; • Maintenance – parental responsibility for education and medical needs; • Costs – each party to bear own costs.
18 March 2024
Family minutes alone do not justify revoking letters of administration; Administrator General's CONO and statutory process required.
Succession law – alteration or revocation of letters of administration; requirement of Certificate of No Objection from Administrator General; insufficiency of family meeting minutes; duty to exhibit inventory and account; procedural compliance before regranting administration.
15 March 2024
Applicant succeeds on contempt: first respondent committed to six months, third warned; second not held in contempt.
Civil contempt – requirements: existence of lawful order, knowledge, ability to comply, failure to comply; execution of warrant of attachment; committal to civil prison as coercive remedy; discretion to warn public officers and to refuse costs.
12 March 2024
Stay of execution denied where applicant failed to prove substantial loss, delayed action, and execution had already commenced.
Civil procedure – stay of execution pending appeal – Order 43 r.4(3) – requirements: substantial loss, absence of unreasonable delay, security, likelihood of success, imminent threat of execution – execution already commenced – stay refused.
11 March 2024
February 2024
28 February 2024
26 February 2024
22 February 2024