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.
24 judgments
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24 judgments
Citation
Judgment date
February 2021
Court finds defendant’s registration fraudulently procured, declares trespass, orders title rectification, damages (UGX 35,000,000) and costs.
Land law – title obtained by fraud – evidential burden under Evidence Act s.103; Trespass as a continuous tort and limitation; Registration of Titles Act s.177 – cancellation/rectification of title; Damages for unlawful possession and contempt of injunctive orders.
26 February 2021
25 February 2021
The respondent lawfully acquired a kibanja before title registration and is not a trespasser; counterclaim succeeds with declarations, injunction and damages.
* Land law – unregistered kibanja interests – protection of bona fide occupants and purchasers under the Land Act and Land Amendment Act (sections 29(5), 31, 35(8)). * Evidence – burden of proof and credibility – applicant's contradictions undermining claimed title superiority. * Relief – dismissal of trespass claim; declaratory relief, permanent injunction, general damages and costs to successful counterclaimant.
25 February 2021
The respondent lawfully acquired a kibanja; the applicant’s trespass claim is dismissed and the respondent’s counterclaim succeeds.
* Land law – kibanja (unregistered occupancy interest) – protection of bona fide purchaser/occupant under the Land Act and Land Amendment Act. * Evidence – credibility and contradictions – assessment on the balance of probabilities. * Remedies – declaration, injunction, damages and costs on successful counterclaim.
25 February 2021
22 February 2021
18 February 2021
18 February 2021
A suit filed by a company not recognised by the Registrar lacks a cause of action and is struck out.
* Civil procedure – striking out plaint – Order 6 Rule 30 CPR – plaint must disclose reasonable cause of action. * Company law – legal personality and capacity to sue – effect of Registrar General/URSB decision on corporate existence. * Procedural relief – stay of proceedings – cannot be granted where plaintiff lacks legal status to sue.
12 February 2021
Plaintiff's fraud-based land claim not time-barred; preliminary objections dismissed and suit ordered to proceed.
* Civil procedure – preliminary objections – smuggled pleadings – held properly before court following compliance with directions. * Limitation – fraud exception – time runs from discovery; pleaded 2015 discovery defeats limitation plea. * Pleadings – sufficiency – plaint and annexures plead ownership, violation, fraud and collusion; cause of action disclosed. * Locus standi – beneficiary of alleged transfer has standing to sue. * Privity – cannot be determined on preliminary objection; reserved for full trial. * Statutory notice – non‑compliance not fatal under current authority.
12 February 2021
Registered proprietors deprived of land by an unopposed decree are aggrieved and entitled to review where denied a hearing.
* Civil procedure — Review (s.82 Civil Procedure Act; O.46) — Whether third-party registered proprietors are "aggrieved persons"; failure to join or notify affected registered proprietors as error apparent on face of record; sufficient reason to review where property rights affected. * Constitutional law — Property — Article 26(2) — Protection against compulsory deprivation of property without due process. * Land registration — Effect of court decree on titles and Registrar's duty to execute cancellation subject to affected parties' right to be heard.
12 February 2021
Appellant's long possession and valid inter vivos gift prevail; admission of an unproved will vitiated the trial judgment.
Land law – gift inter vivos – elements and proof; Lawful/bonafide occupation – long possession under the Land Act; Evidence – proof and admissibility of wills; Illegality – admission of unproved document vitiates trial judgment; Equitable rights – unregistered but effective rights against the world.
11 February 2021
Beneficiary failed to prove fraud; transferee held bona fide purchaser and suit for recovery of estate land dismissed.
Land law – bona fide purchaser for value; Registration of Titles Act – s.59 and s.181; caveat and withdrawal of caveat; letters of administration and revocation (Succession Act); proof of fraud; locus of beneficiary to sue for recovery of estate land.
10 February 2021
Applicant’s registered lease reinstated after cancellation set aside for failure to accord the applicant a fair hearing.
* Civil review – Section 82 CPA and Order 46 r.1 CPR – review for error apparent on face of record and discovery of new evidence. * Constitutional right to fair hearing – necessity to make affected lessee a party before cancelling registered lease. * Company affidavits – necessity for deponents to show authority to depose on behalf of corporate applicant. * Remedy – setting aside cancellation, reinstatement of registered lease, hearing inter partes.
9 February 2021
Court vacated two caveats but preserved the first respondent’s caveat pending a substantive suit within 60 days.
* Land law – caveats – vacation of caveat – temporary protective measure under Registration of Titles Act s.139. * Civil procedure – insufficiency of motion with affidavits to determine competing proprietary rights – requirement for substantive suit by plaint. * Beneficiary claims under a will – retention of caveat pending adjudication.
8 February 2021
Proceedings held without joining the registered proprietor and without mandatory pre‑trial conference were irregular and set aside.
* Land law – Proprietorship v trespass – plaint seeking declaration of lawful/bonafide occupancy as primary claim – trespass secondary. * Civil procedure – Mandatory scheduling conference – Order 12 rule 1 CPR – duty of court to hold and adopt/revise joint scheduling memorandum. * Civil procedure – Joinder of parties – Order 1 rule 3 CPR – registered proprietors must be joined where proprietorship is challenged. * Registration of Titles Act (cap 230) s.59 – certificate of title conclusive proof of ownership; proceedings without registered proprietor breach natural justice. * Remedy – Proceedings and judgment set aside; fresh suit advised; each party to bear own costs.
8 February 2021
Failure to file the mandatory estate inventory defeats the plaintiffs’ cause of action; plaint rejected and suit dismissed with costs.
Succession law – mandatory filing of inventory under section 278(1) – failure to file or seek court extension defeats cause of action; plaint rejected under Order 7 r.11 CPR; suit dismissed with costs; administrators’ duties and procedural compliance.
8 February 2021
Plaintiff failed to prove fraudulent registration or transfer; suit dismissed and plaintiff ordered to bear costs.
* Land registration – Allegation of fraudulent procurement of letters of administration and fraudulent registration of land titles; * Evidentiary requirements – necessity of certified court/administration records to prove alleged fraud; * Registration of powers of attorney – presumption and timing under s.146 Registration of Titles Act; * Caveats – validity depends on authority to act; * Transfer of title – burden to prove transaction and passage of title to transferee.
8 February 2021
Prior possession plus a valid purchase defeats titles and registrations derived from fraud; fraudulent grants and tainted transfers are void.
Land law – purchase and possession – adverse possession; Registration of Titles – indefeasibility defeated by fraud in procurement of administration grant; Administrators’ grant obtained by misrepresentation; Bona fide purchaser protection negated by notice of prior occupation.
5 February 2021
Court permitted amendment to join the property custodian where amendment challenged allocation cancellation and raised no new cause of action.
Amendment of pleadings – adding necessary parties – whether proposed amendment introduces new cause of action – cancellation of allocation by property custodian – necessity to join custodian to avoid multiplicity of suits.
4 February 2021
Beneficiary caveats protect equitable interests and cannot be removed without a court order or hearing for the caveator.
Registration of Titles Act – Caveats – beneficiary caveat; protectable equitable interest; beneficiary caveat removable only by caveator or court order; procedural fairness and right to be heard before removal; Registrar justified in refusing removal absent opportunity to show cause.
4 February 2021
Revision allowed: agent’s affidavit competent; Wakiso Magistrate lacked geographical jurisdiction, judgment set aside.
Civil procedure – Revision under section 83 CPA – scope limited to jurisdictional and irregular exercise of jurisdiction; Affidavits – competence where agent holds power of attorney; Magistrates’ jurisdiction – pecuniary limits and geographical/local limits; Nullity of proceedings for lack of geographical jurisdiction.
4 February 2021
1 February 2021
Court held the applicant's affidavit competent, plaint discloses cause of action and locus standi issues are premature.
Civil procedure – interlocutory application in land suit; competence of affidavit sworn in personal capacity; plaint discloses cause of action; locus standi and nature of suit land premature for interlocutory determination; plaint not barred by law; costs in the cause.
1 February 2021
Applicant entitled to refund for unjust enrichment despite breach; interest at 18% and respondent to pay 50% of costs.
Contract law – interpretation, waiver and estoppel; breach for non-payment of instalments; unjust enrichment – money had and received; restitutionary remedy; award of interest and apportionment of costs.
1 February 2021