HC: Land Division (Uganda)

The Land Division is a Division created at the High Court Head office at Kampala.

The Division is charged with the following functions:Responsibility of supervising the work of Land Tribunals, the adjudication of all land related dispute fall under this Division. The land Division is established with three judges with a separate registry for the Division .There is a Registrar for the Land Division who doubles as the Registrar of the Land Tribunals. A desk office was also established under the office of the Registrar to handle the activities of the District Land Tribunals.

 

Physical address
Twed Towers, along Kafu Road, Nakasero, Kampala.
84 judgments
  • Filters
  • Judges
  • Topics
  • Alphabet
Sort by:
84 judgments
Citation
Judgment date
December 2018
Land
21 December 2018
Land
20 December 2018
Civil Procedure
14 December 2018
Land
13 December 2018
13 December 2018
Land
6 December 2018
Land
6 December 2018
Land|Land Dispute
6 December 2018
Land|Title to real property
6 December 2018
Land
6 December 2018
Land|Land Dispute
6 December 2018
Land
6 December 2018
Land|Occupancy and Possession
6 December 2018
Civil Procedure
5 December 2018
November 2018
Administrative Law|Administrative Review
30 November 2018
October 2018
Plaintiff has an equitable interest in the land; compensation ordered for developments built by defendant's predecessors.
Land — Ownership and possession — Equitable interest and bona fide occupation — Distinction between registered title and possession — Lease agreements affecting different plots — Improvements by tenant's predecessor — Compensation to avoid unjust enrichment — Recovery of rents/special damages; appointment of valuer.
23 October 2018
12 October 2018
September 2018
Land
27 September 2018
Land
20 September 2018
Land
20 September 2018
Contract Law|Land
20 September 2018
Appeals and reviews|Land
13 September 2018
Land
10 September 2018

 

6 September 2018
Land
6 September 2018
Land
6 September 2018
August 2018
31 August 2018
8 August 2018
1 August 2018
July 2018
Land
25 July 2018
June 2018
Land
22 June 2018
Amended plaint filed outside permitted period and without leave was struck off; original plaint failed to disclose a cause of action and suit dismissed.
Civil procedure – amendment of pleadings – O.6 r.20, r.31 and O.8 r.19 CPR – filing date vs service; Land law – registered title protected against ejectment except in cases of fraud – necessity to plead particulars of fraud (Registration of Titles Act s.176(3)); Bonafide occupation – definition and evidentiary requirements (Land Act s.29(2)); Cause of action – plaint must show plaintiff’s right, violation and defendant’s role.
14 June 2018
A registered proprietor with an indefeasible title is entitled to eject trespassers absent proved fraud or a valid lease.
* Land law – registered title – indefeasibility of title under the Registration of Titles Act – certificate of title conclusive absent proved fraud. * Trespass to land – unauthorized occupation constitutes trespass against the person in possession. * Burden of proof – defendant must prove existence of lease and payment of premium; fraud must be specially pleaded and proved. * Remedies – eviction, permanent injunction, damages and costs.
7 June 2018
An administrator who forges co-administrators’ signatures to transfer estate land commits fraud; transfers and titles cancelled.
* Land law – Administrator of estate – Unauthorized transfer, forgery and mutation by an administrator – fraud attributable to transferee. * Reliefs – cancellation of fraudulent subdivisions/transfers, recall of titles, reinstatement of administrators, damages, costs and interest. * Civil procedure – ex parte hearing where defendant duly served.
7 June 2018
Stay of execution granted pending appeal, conditional on provision of security equal to half the taxed costs.
Civil procedure – Stay of execution pending appeal – Order 43 r.4(3): substantial loss, promptness, security – Supplementary affidavit filed without leave struck off – Procedural defects curable under Article 126 – Notice of appeal as expression of intent to appeal.
1 June 2018
May 2018
Preliminary objections dismissed: administrator’s Letters of Administration prima facie confer locus to sue and omission of residence not fatal.
Civil procedure – preliminary objections – requisites of a preliminary objection; Succession law – Letters of Administration presumed genuine – administrator’s locus to sue – rights relate back to time of death; Pleadings – omission of place of residence not fatal where address for service given; Order 8 r.18 – failure to reply not admission where issues joined; Rejection of plaint – O.7 r.11 CPR.
31 May 2018
A trespasser who plants beyond authorised permits cannot recover compensation for unlawfully occupied land.
Property law – trespass; planting beyond authorised permits; squatter/trespasser not entitled to compensation; trespass as a continuous tort; expired permits and notice to harvest; court will not sanction illegality.
29 May 2018
High Court affirms oral sale and lawful possession; appeal dismissed and decree-extraction omission treated as technicality.
Land law – sale of land by oral (parol) agreement – possession and boundary marks as evidence of purchase – trespass – evaluation of evidence on appeal – procedural technicality: extraction of decree not fatal.
24 May 2018
Applicant’s notice of appeal alone and unproven risk of alienation did not justify a stay of execution; application dismissed.
Stay of execution – requirements: likelihood of success on appeal; irreparable harm or nugatory appeal; balance of convenience; promptness – notice of appeal alone insufficient; prematurity where no execution proceedings; alleged land tenure conversion not proof of execution.
24 May 2018
A temporary injunction granted to preserve the status quo on disputed land pending trial where a sale agreement and deposit raise triable issues.
* Land law – interlocutory relief – temporary injunction to preserve status quo pending trial – requirements: prima facie case, irreparable injury, balance of convenience. * Evidence of sale agreement and deposit as creating an equitable interest sufficient to raise triable issues. * Possession and title – protection of bona fide possessor absent proof of fraud. * Preservation of property pending determination of legal title.
24 May 2018
Late objections that the defendant was non-existent and the trespass claim time-barred were overruled; trespass held continuous.
* Civil procedure – preliminary objections – competency when raised late – delay may render objection unsustainable and presumed unnecessary. * Corporate personality – appearance and defence by counsel may estop a party from later claiming nonexistence of the defendant. * Limitation Act – trespass to land is a continuing tort; the six-year limitation does not bar continuing trespass. * Res judicata – Supreme Court determination and remittal on liability binds the High Court to assess damages only.
23 May 2018
The applicant proved prolonged non-payment and unauthorized excavation and was granted re-entry, possession, an injunction and nominal damages.
Land law – breach of lease by non-payment of rent and unauthorized excavation; re-entry and possession; injunction; Registration of Titles Act s.176(b); failure to defend and acceptance of uncontradicted evidence; nominal damages where quantum not proved.
23 May 2018
Unauthorized subdivision and grading by the defendant encroached plaintiff's land—titles cancelled, damages and resurvey ordered.
* Land law – trespass and encroachment – grading and creation of access road intruding on neighbour's leased plot. * Land law – validity of subdivision and registration – subdivisions and titles effected without prior lessor consent and failure to follow original boundaries. * Evidence – reliance on joint survey reports and locus visit to establish overlap and loss of usable land. * Statutory principle – section 56 Land Act: registration or certificate does not cure defects in land transactions. * Remedies – cancellation of irregular subdivisions/titles, resurvey, damages, interest and costs.
15 May 2018
Application for security for costs dismissed where both parties had prima facie cases and inability to pay was not proved.
* Civil procedure – Security for costs – Order 26 r.1 & r.3 CPR – two‑stage test: prima facie merits and inability to pay – mere lack of knowledge of assets insufficient to order security. * Res judicata and limitation – relevance to prima facie assessment at interlocutory stage. * Authorities: Namboro v Kaala; G.M. Combined v A.K. Detergents; Bank of Uganda v Nsereko.
11 May 2018
Application for committal for contempt dismissed because transfers occurred while a consent judgment was in force, not after injunction reinstatement.
Contempt of court – civil contempt – elements: existence of lawful order, knowledge, disobedience – consent judgment effect on injunction – transfers to third parties/bona fide purchasers – committal to civil prison – inherent powers under section 98 CPC exercised judiciously.
10 May 2018
Suit challenging execution transfer dismissed for lack of prosecution service and failure to prove fraud sufficient to impeach decree.
Civil procedure – execution of decree – exclusive jurisdiction of executing court under Section 34 Civil Procedure Act – transferees under judicial sale included; Fraud on the Court – collateral attack permissible only with clear, cogent proof; Service of summons – mandatory 21-day rule under Order 5 CPR – non-compliance and failure to apply for extension fatal to suit; Order 36 R.11 CPR – remedies to set aside decree before executing court.
10 May 2018
Alleged contempt for breach of consent judgment dismissed where respondent substantially complied; remaining works ordered completed within 60 days.
Contempt of court — civil contempt; consent judgment compliance; proof required: lawful order, knowledge, ability and wilful failure to comply; supervision clause in consent orders; timing and appropriateness of permanent injunction and punitive remedies.
8 May 2018
Plaintiff proved demolition and obtained general damages; defendants jointly liable and inter‑defendant indemnities ordered.
Land law – Mortgage and sale – Failure to conduct due diligence by mortgagee – Attachment and nullified sale – Ownership reinstated by consent/Commercial Court – Valuation evidence inadmissible where valuer unregistered – Plaintiff proved damage but not claimed replacement value – Joint and several liability of parties – Inter-defendant indemnities and refund order – General damages and interest.
2 May 2018
April 2018
Non-compliance with O.5 r1(2) 21-day service rule without seeking extension renders the application incompetent and is dismissed.
Civil Procedure — Service of summons and hearing notices — O.5 r1(2) — 21-day service requirement — strict compliance — sealing/endorsement by Registrar — failure to seek extension — dismissal of application.
19 April 2018
Leave granted to amend the plaint and add necessary parties under O.1 r10(2); procedural omission overlooked for lack of prejudice.
Civil procedure – Amendment of pleadings – Joinder of parties – Order 1 r 10(2) CPR – Person whose presence is necessary for effective adjudication – Omission of proposed amended plaint – Prejudice and discretion – Bona fide purchaser defence to be determined after pleadings.
13 April 2018