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.
20 judgments
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20 judgments
Citation
Judgment date
August 2024

 

30 August 2024
An application for stay of execution was dismissed due to absence of a pending appeal and unreasonable delay by the applicant.
Civil procedure – stay of execution – requirements for granting stay – pending appeal – unreasonable delay – security for due performance – failure to demonstrate intent to appeal.
29 August 2024

 

28 August 2024
Hearsay-based forgery allegations failed; registry evidence and bona fide purchaser protection upheld; suit dismissed.
Land law – Alleged fraudulent transfer and forgery; burden and standard of proof in civil fraud claims; hearsay inadmissibility without independent corroboration; protection of bona fide purchasers for value; evidentiary value of registry documents and Registrar’s testimony; costs where parties’ conduct affects filings.
28 August 2024
Leave to amend a plaint was granted to clarify changed land particulars, with no prejudice to the opposing party.
Civil procedure – amendment of plaint – discretion of court – clarification of subject matter – no change in cause of action – timely application – interests of justice.
27 August 2024
Court grants leave to issue a third party notice based on an indemnity clause in a land license agreement.
Civil procedure – third party notice – Order 1 rule 14 Civil Procedure Rules – indemnity clause in land license agreement – right to indemnification – joinder of third party.
23 August 2024
Whether the applicant or respondent lawfully owns the land and what remedies follow unlawful occupation.
Land law – proof of title and competing oral/paper evidence; authenticity of sale agreements; locus visit weight; trespass – unlawful entry and construction; remedies – declaration of ownership, eviction, injunction, general damages, interest and costs; burden of proof on balance of probabilities.
23 August 2024
Plaintiff not entitled to indemnity for erroneous government land allocation where plaintiff failed to prove due diligence or losses.
Land law – erroneous government allocation of land – Torrens registration – bonafide purchaser for value without notice – nemo dat quod non habet inapplicable to Torrens system absent defect protection – indemnity requires valid contractual/equitable basis – due diligence requirement for land purchasers – damages demand requires proof of loss.
23 August 2024

 

23 August 2024

 

23 August 2024
Applicant granted leave to file defence out of time after court found no effective personal service of summons.
Service of summons; substituted service – only after reasonable attempts at personal service; service on one joint administrator does not bind co-administrators absent authority; Order 51 r.6 – extension of time – sufficient cause; failure to serve as sufficient cause to file defence out of time.
22 August 2024
Court closed a caveat removal application, directing parties to await resolution of the main land dispute suit.
Land Law – Caveats – Removal of caveat – Parallel proceedings – Dismissal of application pending substantive suit.
22 August 2024
Appellants failed to prove res judicata or Kibanja rights; trespass finding and damages against them were upheld.
Civil procedure – res judicata – requirement to produce pleadings/proceedings/judgment; Land law – Kibanja claims versus registered Mailo title; Evidence – burden on party asserting prior possession; Registered title – conclusive evidence of ownership (s.59 Registration of Titles Act) and protection against ejectment; Damages – general damages discretionary, market-value compensation may follow pleaded relief.
22 August 2024
Court granted conditional leave to file defence out of time despite finding the applicant was properly served, to avoid penalising co-defendants.
Civil procedure – Enlargement of time to file defence – Order 51 r.6 – Sufficient cause requirement – Service of summons on multiple defendants – substituted service – judicial discretion to grant leave subject to conditions.
22 August 2024
Plaintiff’s land recovery claim dismissed as time‑barred; adverse possession would have vested title in the defendant.
Land law – recovery of land – limitation under Limitation Act s.5 (12 years) – extinctive prescription/adverse possession – bona fide purchaser for value without notice – pleadings and burden of proof.
20 August 2024
A joint administrator cannot sell estate land alone; purchasers had notice, so sale was nullified and property restored.
Succession law – Joint administrators – Concurrence required for conveyancing; single administrator cannot sell estate land alone; bona fide purchaser inquiry – actual, constructive or imputed notice; remedies – nullification of sale, declaration of reversion to estate, eviction; no general damages, mesne profits or costs awarded.
20 August 2024

 

19 August 2024

 

8 August 2024
A court may award 'costs thrown away' for interlocutory amendments; leave to appeal such discretionary cost orders was refused.
Civil procedure – leave to appeal – discretionary costs – section 27 Civil Procedure Act – costs follow the event extends to interlocutory matters; courts may order 'costs thrown away' where amendment renders prior proceedings ineffective.
7 August 2024

 

6 August 2024