The Supreme Court of Uganda is the highest judicial organ in

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

. It derives its powers from Article 130 of the 1995 Constitution. It is primarily an

appellate court A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of ...

with original

jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, areas of jurisdiction apply to local, state, and federal levels. Jur ...

in only one type of case: a presidential election petition.

Location

The Supreme Court Building is located at 10 Upper Kololo, at the corner with Mabua Road, on Kololo Hill. This is in the Central Division of

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...

, Uganda's capital and largest city. The coordinates of the Supreme Court Building are: 0°19'45.0"N, 32°35'23.0"E (Latitude:0.329165; Longitude:32.589725).

Overview

The Supreme Court is headed by the chief justice and has ten other justices. The quorum required for a court decision varies depending on the type of case under consideration. When hearing a constitutional appeal, the required quorum is seven justices. In a criminal or a civil appeal, only five justices are required for a quorum. In the absence of the chief justice, the most senior member of the court presides. The court sits eight sessions a year with a break of two weeks between sessions to conduct research and write judgments. It has the power to uphold, reverse, substitute its judgment, or order a new trial when hearing an appeal from a lower court.

Composition

As of 08 December 2022, the following justices sat on the Supreme Court: #

Alfonse Owiny-Dollo Alfonse Chigamoy Owiny-Dollo is a Ugandan lawyer and judge. He has been the Chief Justice of Uganda since 20 August 2020. He served as the Acting Chief Justice of Uganda from 22 June 2020 and was a deputy Chief Justice from 30 September 2017. H ...

Chief Justice of Uganda The Supreme Court of Uganda is the highest judicial organ in Uganda. It derives its powers from Article 130 of the 1995 Constitution. It is primarily an appellate court with original jurisdiction in only one type of case: a presidential electi ...

# Stella Arach-Amoko # Esther Mayambala Kitimbo Kisaakye # Eldad Mwangusya # Faith Essy Mwondha # Lillian Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza #

Paul Mugamba Paul Kahaibale Mugamba is a Ugandan lawyer and judge who has served as a member of the Supreme Court of Uganda since September 2017. Immediately prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court, he served as a Justice of the Uganda Court of Appeal. ...

# Michael Chibita #

Ezekiel Muhanguzi Ezekiel Muhanguzi is a Ugandan lawyer and judge, on the Court of Appeal of Uganda, which doubles as the country's Constitutional Court. He was appointed to that position by president Yoweri Museveni on 8 February 2018. Prior to his elevatio ...

# Percy Night Tuhaise

Cases heard

Among the controversial cases heard by the Supreme Court was in 2008 when the validity of the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

was contested. The case was heard on appeal from the constitutional court. The main appellant was

Susan Kigula Susan Kigula (born 1980) is a Ugandan prison reformer. Her case (''Susan Kigula and 416 Others vs Attorney General, 2009'') resulted in changes to Ugandan law regarding the death penalty. Background She was born from Masaka district and used to ...

who has since lost her appeal against her own death sentence for murdering her husband. Other cases include four of the last five presidential election petitions in which the court ruled 3:2 in 2001, 4:3 in 2006, 5:4 in 2011, and 9:0 in 2016 in favor of President

Yoweri Museveni Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa (born 15 September 1944) is a Ugandan politician and retired senior military officer who has been the 9th and current President of Uganda since 26 January 1986. Museveni spearheaded rebellions with aid of then ...

's re-election.

List of chief justices

Republic of Uganda

* Since 2020

Alfonse OWiny-Dollo Alfonse Chigamoy Owiny-Dollo is a Ugandan lawyer and judge. He has been the Chief Justice of Uganda since 20 August 2020. He served as the Acting Chief Justice of Uganda from 22 June 2020 and was a deputy Chief Justice from 30 September 2017. H ...

* 2015 – 2020

Bart Magunda Katureebe Bart Magunda Katureebe is a Ugandan judge and the former Chief Justice of Uganda. He was appointed to that position on 5 March 2015. Before that, he was a justice of the Supreme Court of Uganda. Background and education He was born on 20 June 19 ...

* 2013 – 2015

Steven Kavuma Steven Kavuma is a Ugandan judge and the immediate former deputy chief justice of Uganda. He was appointed to that post on 5 March 2015. From April 2013 until March 2015, he served as the acting Chief Justice of Uganda, pending the appointment o ...

(acting) * 2001 – 2013

Benjamin Josses Odoki Benjamin Josses Odoki (born 23 March 1943) was the tenth Chief Justice of Uganda from 2001 to 2013. Background and education He was born in ''Dhaka Village'', Busia District, in the Eastern Region of Uganda, on 23 March 1943, in a family with ...

* 1986 – 2001

Samuel Wako Wambuzi Samuel Wako Wambuzi (born January 23, 1931) is a Ugandan scholar and jurist who served three time as the Chief Justice of Uganda; from 1972 to 1975, 1979 to 1980 and 1986 to 2001. Early life Wambuzi was born in Kaliro village, at Namalemba in ...

* 1985 – 1986 Peter Allen * 1980 – 1985 George Masika * 1979 – 1980 Samuel Wako Wambuzi * 1975 – 1979 Mohammed Saied * 1972 – 1975 Samuel Wako Wambuzi * 1971 – 1972 Benedicto Kiwanuka * 1969 – 1971 Dermot Joseph Sheridan * 1963 – 1969

Egbert Udo Udoma Sir Egbert Udo Udoma, KBE, (21 June 1917 – 2 February 1998)Reuben Abati"Book review: Udo Udoma: In The Shelter Of The Elephant Rock" Nigerian Village Square, 8 March 2009. was a lawyer and justice of the Nigerian Supreme Court. He was Chie ...

* 1962 – 1963 K. G. Bennet (acting)

Uganda Protectorate

*1956 – 1962 Audley McKisack *1952 – 1956

John Bowes Griffin Sir John Bowes Griffin QC (19 April 1903 – 2 February 1992) was a British lawyer and judge. He served as a government lawyer and judge in a number of British colonies in the mid 20th Century. His last positions were as chief justice of th ...

*1947 – 1952 David Edwards *1937 – 1947

Norman Whitley Sir Norman Henry Pownall Whitley, (29 June 1883 – 12 April 1957) was a British Army officer and supreme court judge. He was a silver medallist in lacrosse at the 1908 Summer Olympics. Biography Whitley was born in Chorlton, Manchester an ...

*1935 – 1937 Robert Evans Hall *1935 John Harry Barclay Nihill (acting) *1933 – 1934 Sidney Solomon Abrahams *1921 – 1932 Charles James Griffin *19nn – 1920 William Morris Carter

References

External links

The Judiciary of Uganda HomepageUganda Online Law Library - Courts and JudicatureUganda Online Law Library - Supreme Court of Uganda Rules - 76 pp pdfUganda Legal Information InstituteUganda Law SocietyEast African Law Society
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Judiciary of Uganda Courts in Uganda