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“To convict on the basis of circumstantial evidence, the chain of events must be so complete that it establishes the culpability of the appellant, and no one else, without any reasonable doubt. The chain must never be broken at any stage… Suspicion, however strong, cannot provide a basis for inferring guilt.”

“Where the deceased was last seen with the accused, there is a duty placed on the accused to give an explanation relating to how the deceased met his or her death.” And further: “The doctrine of ‘last seen’ means that the law presumes that the person last seen with a deceased bears full responsibility for his death… In the absence of a satisfactory explanation… the Court will be justified in drawing the inference that the accused person killed the deceased.” The Court held th

A person who occupied land unchallenged by the registered owner for 12 or more years before the 1995 Constitution came into force are bonafide occupants under Section 29(2)(a) of the Land Act. Such occupants cannot be arbitrarily evicted and their occupation is not unlawful, meaning a trespass claim will fail on the third element.

"The offence of aggravated defilement is a very grave offence whose maximum punishment is death and given the circumstances of this case, the appellant defiled an 8-year-old girl. Despite those circumstances, the learned trial Judge exercised her discretion and spared the appellant the death sentence and she instead sentenced him to 25 years' imprisonment."

The Court established that a tenant seeking reimbursement or set-off for works done on leased premises must demonstrate: (a) written contractual authorisation for the works; (b) specific pleading of the expenditure as special damages; and (c) definitive, documentary evidence of actual expenditure (receipts, bank transfers, expert reports). Mere oral testimony, estimated totals, or itemised lists without supporting records will be insufficient.

The Court noted that the memorandum of appeal did not reference a decree and final orders of the lower court, and that none was present on the record. The Court held "An appeal lies from a decree or order, not merely a judgment. Absence of an extracted decree is a recognized defect in appellate practice."

While Article 126(2)(e) directs courts to administer substantive justice without undue regard to technicalities, this principle cannot be invoked to bypass or override express constitutional provisions regarding court composition. Constitutional mandates on judicial composition are not 'technicalities' but fundamental jurisdictional requirements.

When parties enter into a share sale and transfer agreement that expressly provides for management control to vest in the purchaser, courts will enforce those contractual terms. Clauses specifying management rights and restricting minority shareholders from day-to-day involvement are valid and binding.

Contrary to the High Court's determination, the Supreme Court held that artificial neural networks constitute "programs for a computer" in a technologically neutral sense. Their architecture, including weights, biases, structure, and activation functions, operates as instructions executed by computing devices, whether implemented through software or hardware.

A caretaker's authority is strictly limited to the terms of their appointment. Unless expressly authorized in writing, caretakers cannot bind property owners to financial obligations, hire professional services, or incur expenses on the owner's behalf. A person who lawfully enters property under a license or permission becomes a trespasser when they refuse to leave after that permission is revoked. The Plaintiff entered the land legally in 2006 but became a trespasser in 202

FACTS Nattabi Margaret, the Applicant, applied and was successfully nominated as a candidate for the 89th Guild Presidential elections at Makerere University on 31st March 2023. On 4th April 2023, she was invited by the Mitchell Hall Students’ Common Room to participate in a panel discussion on 5th April 2023, as is customary prior to guild elections, to update students on the prospects of renovating hall infrastructure. The Applicant attended and addressed students on 5th Ap

Section 124 of the Registration of Titles Act grants courts discretion to vacate a caveat where the caveator fails to show cause for its continuance. However, beneficiary caveats, especially those lodged to protect the interests of minors in an estate, are afforded stronger protection and should not be removed without compelling reasons.

Applying Section 34(1)(a) of the Interpretation Act, the Court held that time begins to run the day after delivery of the ruling, not on the day of delivery itself. The Court stated: "The settled principle of law is that the day on which the decision is delivered is excluded, and time begins to run on the following day... time began to run on 18 April 2025, and the seventh day fell on 24 April 2025. The Applicant filed a letter requesting for the record of proceedings on 24 A

Regarding lifting the corporate veil, the Court referenced Section 18 of the Companies Act, which allows piercing the corporate veil in cases of fraud. However, the Court stated: "The Plaintiff having failed to prove the averment that the 2nd Defendant is a director in the 1st Plaintiff company, by itself already fails any attempt to lift the 2nd Defendant company's veil." "However, in this instant case where fraud was pleaded, the Plaintiff is required to prove the allegatio

The Court found that prior counsel attempted to commence the appeal using the wrong procedure by filing a Notice of Appeal on March 28, 2023, instead of a Memorandum of Appeal as required by Order XL Rule 1 of the Civil Procedure Rules. The Court held this mistake of counsel constituted sufficient cause, citing Florence Nabatanzi v Naome Binsobedde (Supreme Court Civil Application No. 6 of 1987). The Court adopted a liberal standard of scrutiny, emphasizing the need to bal

The court clarified that although one has been gifted land, the gifting must be a gift inter vivos. citing the case of Kakembo & 4 others v Nakato (civil suit 305 of 2022) [2025] UGHCFD 21, the validity of a gift inter-vivos, mainly involving land, depends on its completion during the donor's lifetime. Court further emphasized that the deceased's transfer of land to the Respondent was not complete and not perfected, citing the case of Ssekamwa Sande (Adminsitrator of the Esta

The Court upheld the finding that the respondent validly inherited the land under customary tenure: “There was credible evidence that the respondent inherited the suit land as a customary holding… There was no contrary evidence capable of controverting it.” The court further upheld that the Respondent proved customary inheritance; the appellants' claims were invalid as allocations by the Town Board/Sub-County lacked authority under Section 59(1)(a) Land Act. Citizenship is no

In respect of vehicles taken without concluded agreements, the Court invoked section 58 of the Contracts Act, holding that a quasi-contract arises where one party confers a benefit under circumstances making it unjust for the recipient to retain it without payment, observing that “a quasi-contract is triggered when one party confers a benefit upon another party under circumstances that would make it unjust for the recipient to retain the benefit without paying for it.”

The Court emphasized that mental illness does not automatically equate to lack of legal capacity and underscored the importance of due process under the Mental Health Act. The Court adopted the statutory definition under Section 2 of the Mental Health Act: “Mental capacity means the independent and informed cognitive ability to understand the nature and effects of one’s decisions and actions.” Relying on prior jurisprudence, the Court held that while a formal diagnosis is not

The Court placed the burden squarely on intending petitioners to remain vigilant. It is incumbent on especially the complainant to lay wait at the Commission through any means they may know of to ensure that the decision is not delivered and the 5 days expire while they are unaware. This is where the diligence, vigilance and precaution comes in.

The Court stated that “torture is torture, and should not be justified in any circumstance. Police are the state’s custodians of law and order, and any police action must be authorised by law. Torture negates the police power.” Consequently, the Court confirmed that the Applicant’s rights under Articles 24 and 44(c) of the Constitution had been violated.

In considering whether to reopen, the Court should turn its mind to the relevance of the proposed evidence, the effect, if any, of reopening on the orderly and expeditious conduct of the trial at large, and most fundamentally, whether the other party will be prejudiced if the reopening is permitted.

While section 92 of the Evidence Act bars oral evidence from contradicting written contracts, the Court reiterated a critical exception: “Parol evidence is admissible to show fraudulent inducement to contract.” The Court found that the Plaintiff misrepresented the nature of the documents to the Defendant, inducing him to sign what he believed were loan-security documents, not a sale agreement. “Misrepresentation of a material fact is actionable fraud. A contract based on frau

The Court observed that Article 61(1)(f) of the Constitution empowers the Electoral Commission to hear and determine election complaints arising before and during polling. In tandem, Article 64(1) of the Constitution grants a right of appeal to the High Court for any person aggrieved by a decision of the Electoral Commission made within that mandate. These constitutional provisions are operationalized by Section 15 of the Electoral Commission Act, Cap 176, which authorizes th