Uganda Case Law

China Railway 18th Bureau Group Co. Limited v Uganda

China Railway 18th Bureau Group Co. Limited v Uganda (Criminal Revision 10 of 2024) [2025] UGHC 48 (19 February 2025)

Court

High Court of Uganda

Case number

Criminal Revision 10 of 2024

Judge

Phillip Odoki, J

The Chief Magistrate's order of forfeiture of Motor Vehicle Registration No. UAW 527Z was made without affording the Applicant, the registered owner and a non-party to the criminal proceedings, an opportunity to be heard as required by law. The Uganda Wildlife Act provides that forfeiture as an additional penalty may only be imposed on property of the convict, and where the property belongs to a non-convict, a conditional order of forfeiture must be made following an application by the Executive Director, with notice and opportunity for the owner to contest. The procedure under sections 74 an…

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• Forfeiture Of Property
• Fair Hearing Rights
• Criminal Revision Procedure
• Wildlife Offences

Tumwebaze & Another v Uganda

Tumwebaze & Another v Uganda (Criminal Revision 418 of 2023) [2024] UGHCCRD 24 (19 March 2024)

Court

HC: Criminal Division (Uganda)

Case number

Criminal Revision 418 of 2023

Judge

Rosette Comfort Kania, J

The application for criminal revision was dismissed because the Magistrate's Court had not made any order, sentence, or finding to trigger the High Court's revisionary jurisdiction under section 48 of the Criminal Procedure Code Act. The applicants' reliance on section 50(1)(b) was misplaced, as there was no error or miscarriage of justice arising from any order of the lower court. Furthermore, the application was improperly anchored on section 33 of the Judicature Act, which does not extend to criminal proceedings where civil remedies are unavailable for certain offences. The correct procedu…

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• Criminal Revision Procedure
• Stay Of Proceedings
• Abuse Of Process
• Lis Pendens
• Ownership Dispute
• Multiplicity Of Proceedings

Nalwoga v Uganda

Nalwoga v Uganda (Criminal Revision Cause 1 of 2021) [2022] UGHCCRD 96 (30 November 2022)

Court

HC: Criminal Division (Uganda)

Case number

Criminal Revision Cause 1 of 2021

Judge

Ojok, J

The High Court found that there are two conflicting and competing interests over ownership of the disputed land, with both a kibanja holder and a registered owner litigating in the High Court Land Division. The criminal proceedings arise from the same facts and issues as the pending civil suit. Allowing the criminal case to proceed while the civil suit is unresolved would amount to an abuse of court process and could result in conflicting judgments. The law provides that where the matter in issue is also directly and substantially in issue in a previously instituted suit between the same part…

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• Criminal Revision Procedure
• Stay Of Proceedings
• Abuse Of Court Process
• Land Ownership Disputes

Senkayi v Uganda (Revision Cause No. 11 of 2022)

Senkayi v Uganda (Revision Cause No. 11 of 2022) [2022] UGHCCRD 42 (31 May 2022)

Court

HC: Criminal Division (Uganda)

Case number

Revision Cause No. 11 of 2022

Judge

Muwata, J

The High Court struck out a criminal revision application, holding that interlocutory orders are not revisable and that the matter was premature.

• Criminal Revision Procedure
• Final Orders Requirement
• Magistrates Court Powers
• Miscarriage Of Justice
• Abuse Of Process
• Criminal-revision

Masengere v Uganda

Masengere v Uganda (Criminal Revision 21 of 2020) [2021] UGHCCRD 33 (30 March 2021)

Court

HC: Criminal Division (Uganda)

Case number

Criminal Revision 21 of 2020

Judge

Asiimwe, J

The High Court upheld a preliminary objection and dismissed a criminal revision application because no order, finding, or sentence had been made in the lower court.

• Criminal Revision Procedure
• Preliminary Objection
• Jurisdiction Of High Court
• Criminal-revision-procedure
• Preliminary-objection
• High-court-criminal-division

Barasa & Anor v Uganda

Barasa & Anor v Uganda (Criminal Revision N0. 1 of 2017.) [2018] UGHCCRD 216 (1 November 2018)

Court

HC: Criminal Division (Uganda)

Case number

Criminal Revision N0. 1 of 2017.

Judge

Elubu, J

The High Court held that the prosecution process is exclusively under the mandate of the Director of Public Prosecutions, who determines the appropriate charges and is not subject to direction or control by the accused or any other party. The applicant, as a court bailiff, cannot dictate the charges to be preferred against him. Furthermore, the application for revision was brought against an interlocutory order—specifically, the trial magistrate's overruling of a preliminary objection—which is not subject to revision under Section 48 of the Criminal Procedure Code Act. The law and precedent r…

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• Criminal Revision Procedure
• Interlocutory Orders
• Jurisdiction Of High Court
• Role Of Dpp

Uganda V Muwonge Andrew & 5 Ors

Uganda V Muwonge Andrew & 5 Ors (Criminal Revision No. 10 of 2009) (Criminal Revision No. 10 of 2009) [2009] UGHC 87 (17 September 2009)

Court

High Court of Uganda

Case number

Criminal Revision No. 10 of 2009

The High Court found that although section 50(5) of the Criminal Procedure Code Act generally precludes revision where an appeal is possible but not taken, the circumstances of this case—specifically, the closure of the prosecution case in the absence of state representation and unresolved procedural irregularities—required the court to prioritize substantive justice over technical procedural bars. The court held that it cannot sanction illegality, and where such illegality is brought to its attention, it must intervene regardless of technicalities. The preliminary objection was therefore dis…

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• Criminal Revision Procedure
• Preliminary Objection
• Closure Of Prosecution Case
• Appeal Vs Revision
• Substantive Justice
• Illegality In Criminal Proceedings