Interesting innovations have been formed by various organisations to ease access to justice. To mention but a few these include the following:
The Podcasts by Legal Hub Uganda. Through those podcasts, they are able to use various media channels su ch as radio stations and social media to explain in brief the very complex legal terminologies for the benefit of the public.
The Uganda law s
TRAFFIC POLICE :
Traffic officers are not allowed to get and keep your license, they are only allowed to get your details off it. You are not required to have a category (professional driving permit) if you are driving a vehicle for private use.
If you do not have your licence on you, no police officer is allowed to charge you on the spot. You should be given time to produce it.
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Accord8ng to Uganda's Constitution, every person is entitled to ownership of property. This implies that, no matter the age, all persons are entitled to ownership of all interests in land which include, Mailo, freehold, customary land and leasehold interest.
Non Ugandans however can only own land in leasehold interest and not any other.. this implies that they cannot own land in perpetuity.
With the recent out break of the global pandemic of COVID 19, many countries in the world over are trying there best to control the spread and minimize the devastating impact of the pandemic on human lives and the economy.
With respect to Uganda, there has been among other things, the putting in place of the Public Health (Control of Covid 19) rules of 2020 by the minister of health.
Thes
In recent times, there has been an increase in nudity and pornographic materials being posted on various social media account.
The pornogtlraphic content is either posted intentionally or at times posted for revenge against a relation that has gone bad.
In either case, pornography is criminalized under our penal code act. Similarly, the perpetrators of pornography would also be charged
Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) refers to any act that is perpetrated against a person’s will and is based on gender norms and unequal power relationships.
It encompasses threats of violence and coercion. It can be physical, emotional, psychological, or sexual in nature, and can take the form of a denial of resources or access to services. It inflicts harm on women, girls, men a
There have been controversies in clearly defining matrimonial property in Uganda's context but there have been attempts to outline what it constitutes.
In the case of Muwanga v Kintu (1997), Bbosa J noted that matrimonial property is understood differently by different people, but the property to which each spouse should be entitled is that property which the parties chose to call home and wh
There is a legal requirement under S.39 of the Land Act for spousal consent to be obtained before any dealings in matrimonial property. This is because the law guarantees the spouse a right to have access to, and live on family land hence the spouse has a right to give or withhold his or her consent to any such transaction.
Therefore any sell, exchange, mortgage, lease or transfer of family l
Under the law, every accused person should be presumed innocent until proven guilty. Due to this presumption, an accused person/suspect has the right to be brought to court within 48 hours.
Regardless of these legal provisions, we still hear of suspects who have been detained in Police custody for more than 48 hours. They can secure their release through taking the following steps:
1. App
A minor/child (person below 18 years) can only sue in his or her name through a "next friend" as per Uganda's Civil Procedure Rules.
A next friend is individual that acts on behalf of another individual without the legal capacity to act on his or her own behalf.
Minors cannot sue personally because the law presumes that they generally do not have capacity to contract, sign documents, hire
A report published by APC titled “End violence: women’s rights and safety online”, points out that technology related violence includes acts or behaviors that cause mental or physical harm or suffering. This has been normalized as part of people's online interactions.
Although not often highlighted as such, technology related violence is a form of GBV and falls within the de
Lately, many nations have been bombarded by the rising cases of corruption. This vice has hindered lots of progress with public funds swindled and channeled away from their intended use to satisfy people’s selfish interests.
Notably, it is the persons positions of authority who are put to task with corruption mainly monitored at higher levels; and we forget the role that the "common pe
During this period where many businesses and places of worship have closed down, many couples have found the need to have their weddings celebrated in unlicensed places.
The safest way to celebrate such weddings however, is to obtain special licenses, they should in addition to the usual requirements, prove to the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs that there is no lawful impedim
The abrupt onset of COVID-19 greatly affected the ability of people to perform contracts. It is a general rule under contract law that where a party fails to perform his or her contractual obligations, he or she has committed a breach of contract that gives rise to liability under the contract. It is therefore key for parties to contracts to identify how to manage contracts during this period. Be
more often than not we find ourselves in a situation where our relatives or friends can no longer manage their own business or properties
Such a state of uncertainty puts the affairs of the persons of unsound mind at the risk of going to waste.
In such circumstances, one needs to take the following steps to save the estate of the person of unsound mind.
Obtain a medical report confi
A contract is an agreement made with the free consent of the parties with capacity to contract, for a lawful consideration and with a lawful object.
A contact may be oral, written, or both. You and I make contractual arrangements unnoticed on a daily basis simply because they are not in writing.
We lack the necessary knowledge to enforce our rights in such contracts.
For example wh
Presumption of innocence is a cardinal principle of our criminal law.
This right presupposes that whenever any person is charged or suspected of committing any crime, is presumed innocent until proved guilty.
It is common in every society to rush to conclusion on the guilty of the accused person. Our criminal law gives both the prosecution and the accused a chance to investigate, present
Many times we have found ourselves erroneously submitting wrong dates of birth, age, names or at times adopt different names along the way.
This may not only be questionable in regards to one's academic documents, birth certificate, national identity Card but it may also raise doubts during your job application, when vying for a political position or joining any academic institution.
Upo
During the COVID-19 crisis, many people have found themselves stuck in foreign countries, with with some having property in their home countries needing management, others need to enter into and perform contracts; and many of these activities require the people involved on ground.
However, this can be resolved by making use of Powers of Attorney (POAs) through which one can appoint another f
Corruption is a form of dishonesty or criminal offense undertaken by a person or organization entrusted with a position of authority, to acquire
illicit benefit or abuse power for one's private gain.
Corruption may include many activities including bribery, embezzlement, ommission to perform a public duty for the purpose of illicitly and obtaining benefits for one's self.
The offeri
There is a misconception of the patriarch male dominated society that women have no role in determining how the land they live on should be dealt with.
Do women have any rights over land in uganda?
Yes they do.
According to our Constitution every person has a right to own property regardless of their gender, so are the women.
Women have a right of occupation and utilization of l
Adoption is the legal process by which the court's order extinguished and terminates the rights and responsibilities of the biological parents of the child and transfers those rights and responsibilities to the adopter.
Many times parents are quick to give out their children to foreigners for adoption due to various reasons ranging from poverty anxiety and the belief that their children will
There is an increase in acts of mob justice and the people taking the law in their own hands. Many ugandans have become the judges and the jury.
What causes mob justice?
According to a UHRC 2018 report, mob justice is caused by a number of issues, which include the following;
Delayed police investigations. Police has lost credibility in expediting criminal investigation including th
Successful parties in court cases have taken it upon themselves to execute court orders without following the due process of law
The demolition of buildings, structures and gardens during day and night hours under the guise of giving effect to a court order without following due process is in itself illegal.
The successful party in a court case must apply for execution of a court order
Recent news has revealed that Uganda has recorded over 21,000 child abuse cases since the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Uganda. This is in reference to; https://bit.ly/31BtPwF
The COVID-19 period has been characterized by a great increase in the cases of child marriages, child trafficking, teen pregnancies, sexual and gender based violence; all which were worsened by the closure of schoo
In recent times, the late singer Paul Kafeero's family has been shown in the news. They want to dig up his grave and to access his body due to wrangles relating to paternity disputes. See: https://bit.ly/2PA5Qbv
It is illegal to dig up graves without permission. It is a criminal offence called "disturbing the peace of the dead"; and can attract a criminal penalty.
Other acts that may am
Many times you and I have been served with court documents like a Notice of intention to sue, a demand notice, a notice of claim and a Plaint.
More often than not many of us have run into a panic mode and at times ignored or abandoned such correspondences simply because we don't know what to do.
Whenever you are served with a any document from a law firm or a court of law, simply contact
The Presidential directive to lock-down the Country upon the onset of COVID-19, was helpful in curbing its spread, but has impacted negatively on young girls. The well-being of many Ugandan girls is at risk with the increasing numbers of defilement, teenage pregnancy and early marriage victims. Young girls are many times idle, which predisposes them to sexual activity.
According to mini-surve
Case backlog is a reference made to those cases that have been pending before the courts of law for more than two years.
There Is no doubt that Post COVID 19 is certainly going to worsen the already alarming situation in case management and disposal before the courts of law which have been abnormally working in
abnormal situations without hearing or determining cases save for writing and
An arrest is a deprivation of a person’s liberty for purposes of compelling the person arrested to appear before an authority either as a suspect or a witness.
It is unlawful for police to keep the suspect in custody beyond 24 hours and prolong the questioning of that person by refraining from finally charging him/her.
Art 23(1) of the Constitution of Republic of Uganda states the
