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Uganda Judgment

High Court of Uganda

Rwakaikara Kiiza v Attorney General (Civil Suit No. 1322 of 2000) [2001] UGHC 4 (27 November 2001)

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01

Holding and result

The court found that while the plaintiff's testimony regarding his woes and the delay in payment of salary arrears was credible and supported by documentary evidence, he failed to provide contemporaneous pay slips or acknowledgements to strictly prove the amount claimed as special damages. The standard for special damages requires exact proof, which was not met. Consequently, special damages were denied. However, the court awarded general damages of Shs.4,000,000/= at 20% interest per annum from the date of judgment until payment in full, recognizing the hardship and breach suffered by the plaintiff. Costs of the suit were also awarded.

Court disposition

partly_allowed

Orders

  • Special damages claim is dismissed.
  • Plaintiff is awarded general damages of Shs.4,000,000/= at 20% interest per annum from the date of judgment until payment in full.
  • Plaintiff is awarded costs of the suit.

02

Material facts

Parties

Ivan Rwakaikara Kiiza

Plaintiff

Attorney General

Respondent

Amounts and remedies

  • General Damages Awarded: UGX 4,000,000

03

Procedural history

  1. Posture

    Civil Suit / Judgment

04

Questions and positions

Legal issues

Party arguments

Applicant
The plaintiff argued that he was a qualified teacher who was arrested in 1985 and acquitted in 1990. During his incarceration, his salary was not paid, and after acquittal, reinstatement and payment of arrears were delayed despite repeated pleas to the Ministry of Education. He claimed special damages for salary arrears amounting to Shs.1,773,865/=, general damages for breach of contract, interest at 50% per annum from 1985 until payment in full, and costs.
Respondent
The defendant did not appear or file a defence. The hearing proceeded ex parte, and the plaintiff's evidence was uncontested.

05

Court’s reasoning

  1. 01

    The Estate of Shami Visram and Kurji Karsan vs Shankerprasad Maganlal Bhatt & Others [1965] EA 789, 796

    Special damages must be specifically pleaded and strictly proved by the claimant.

  2. 02

    General principles of contract law

    General damages may be awarded for breach of contract where special damages are not proved.

06

Ratio, limits and disposition

Ratio decidendi

The court found that while the plaintiff's testimony regarding his woes and the delay in payment of salary arrears was credible and supported by documentary evidence, he failed to provide contemporaneous pay slips or acknowledgements to strictly prove the amount claimed as special damages. The standard for special damages requires exact proof, which was not met. Consequently, special damages were denied. However, the court awarded general damages of Shs.4,000,000/= at 20% interest per annum from the date of judgment until payment in full, recognizing the hardship and breach suffered by the plaintiff. Costs of the suit were also awarded.

Obiter and limits

  • The judge noted a personal conflict, having previously represented the plaintiff in the criminal court, but was persuaded that his sense of justice remained unalloyed and proceeded to deliver judgment.

Court disposition

partly_allowed

  • Special damages claim is dismissed.
  • Plaintiff is awarded general damages of Shs.4,000,000/= at 20% interest per annum from the date of judgment until payment in full.
  • Plaintiff is awarded costs of the suit.

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High Court of Uganda

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Source document

High Court of Uganda

Judgment

[2001] UGHC 4

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COURT OF UGANDA AT KAMPALA \line }{\b\ul\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid10169333\charrsid7626423 CIVIL SUIT NO.1322/2000 }{\b\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid10169333\charrsid7626423 \line IVAN RWAKAIKARA KIIZA}{ \b\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid2391123 \'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85}{\b\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid10169333\charrsid7626423 PLAINTIFF \line VS \line ATTORNEY }{ \b\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid10169333\charrsid2391123 GENERAL}{\b\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid2391123 \'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85}{\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid10169333\charrsid7626423 }{\b\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid10169333\charrsid7626423 RESPONDENT \line }{\b\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid2391123 \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\sb100\sa240\sbauto1\sl360\slmult1\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\ipgp1\pararsid2391123 {\b\ul\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid10169333\charrsid7626423 BEFORE: THE HON. MR. JUSTICE P. MUGANBA \line }{\b\ul\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid2391123 \par }\pard \s15\qc \li0\ri0\sb100\sa240\sbauto1\sl360\slmult1\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\ipgp1\pararsid2391123 {\b\ul\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid10169333\charrsid7626423 JUDGMENT

}{ \b\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid10169333\charrsid7626423 \line }{\b\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid2391123 \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\sb100\sa240\sbauto1\sl360\slmult1\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\ipgp1\pararsid2391123 {\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid10169333\charrsid7626423 Ivan Kiiza Rwakaikara instituted this suit aga inst the Attorney General seeking recovery of special dama}{\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid2391123 ges amounting to Shs.1, 773,865/=}{\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid10169333\charrsid7626423 , general damages for breach of contract and costs of the suit. He prayed also for interest at 50% per annum, from 1985 until payment in full, on the salary arrears w hich constitute the amount claimed as special damages. Hearing was ex parte as the defendant did not find it worthwhile to be represented. In the event the testimony of the single witness that the plaintiff was is not contested. \line }{ \lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid2391123 \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\sb100\sa240\sbauto1\sl360\slmult1\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\ipgp1\pararsid5058769 {\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid10169333\charrsid7626423 The plaintiff\rquote s case is th at in 1960 he qualified as a teacher, a vocation from which he retired in 1999. He testified that in 1985 he was

arrested and later indicted with the offence of kidnapping with intent to murder, contrary to section 235(a) of the Penal Code. He was in pris o n from July 1985 until July 1990 when the High Court at Fort Portal acquitted him of the offence. During the period the plaintiff was on remand his salary was not paid to him. Indeed even after his acquittal and release from prison it took long before he was reinstated and some salary arrears paid to him. That was despite several pl}{\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid2391123 eas he made to the Ministry of }{\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid10169333\charrsid7626423 Education, evidence of which abounds in the many exhibits tendered to Court. \line }{\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid2391123 \par }{\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid10169333\charrsid7626423 The plaintiff in his testimony gave what I found a moving chronol ogy of his woes ever since 1985 when he was arrested. His testimony is backed by the exhibits he proffered to Court. In all his endeavours the plaintiff did not show evidence of the amount of money he claims he ought to have been paid. This is a disadvant age as special damages need a more exacting standard for their proof. I do not agree with the contention in Counsel\rquote s submissions that the plaintiff gave particulars of his .alary arrears from August 1985 to January 1993 amounting in all to

Shs.l,773,865/}{\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid4668697 =}{\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid10169333\charrsid7626423 . Certainly contemporaneous pay slips or an acknowledgement could have made a difference. Unfortunately even these were not available. The Court of Appeal for East Africa in }{\ul\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid10169333\charrsid7626423 The}{ \ul\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid4668697 Estate of Shami Visram and Kurj}{\ul\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid10169333\charrsid7626423 i Karsan vs Shankerprasad. Maganlal Bhatt & Others }{ \lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid10169333\charrsid7626423 [1965] EA 789, 796 had this to say: \line }{\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid4668697 \par }\pard \s15\ql \li720\ri0\sb100\sa240\sbauto1\sl360\slmult1\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin720\itap0\ipgp1\pararsid4668697 {\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid10169333\charrsid7626423 \'93While damages in tort are very often}{ \lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid4668697 at large, with the result that }{\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid10169333\charrsid7626423 compensatory damages are not restricted to actual pecuniary loss, this, of course, is not the position where the damages are claimed as special damages. In such a case the plaintiff has to plead and prove his

loss}{ \lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid4668697 \'85\'94}{\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid10169333\charrsid7626423 \line }{\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid4668697 \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\sb100\sa240\sbauto1\sl360\slmult1\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\ipgp1\pararsid4668697 {\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid10169333\charrsid7626423 Consequently I find no basis for awarding special damages in this case. However I award the plaintiff general damages of Shs.4}{\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid4668697\charrsid7626423 , 000,000}{ \lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid10169333\charrsid7626423 /}{\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid4668697 =}{\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid10169333\charrsid7626423 at 20% interest per annum from the date of judgment u ntil final payment. The plaintiff is also entitled to costs of this suit. \line }{\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid4668697 \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\sb100\sa240\sbauto1\sl360\slmult1\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\ipgp1\pararsid5058769 {\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid10169333\charrsid7626423 Before I take leave of this suit I must note that earlier on I had declined, having heard what evidence there was, to write this judgment. The reason was that when I came to write t his judgment I read the exhibited judgment of

the Criminal Court way back in 1990 and observed that I had been th}{\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid4668697 e Advocate who represented the }{ \lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid10169333\charrsid7626423 plaintiff herein in the Criminal Court. I had much heart-searching and doubted whether it would be appropria te that I stand in judgment of this claim. I have since been persuaded otherwise hence this judgment. My sense of justice is unalloyed. \par }{\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid4668697 27/11/2001 \par }{\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid10169333\charrsid7626423 \par \par }\pard\plain \ql \li0\ri0\sl360\slmult1\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid5058769 \fs24\lang2057\langfe2057\cgrid\langnp2057\langfenp2057 {\lang1033\langfe2057\langnp1033\insrsid10169333\charrsid7626423 \par }}

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Authorities

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The Estate of Shami Visram and Kurji Karsan vs Shankerprasad Maganlal Bhatt & Others [1965] EA 789, 796

Case cited

Penal Code Act, section 235(a)

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