Wakilii

Christian Counselling Fellowship v Ibinonga Construction & General Merchandise (Miscellaneous Application No. 1269 of 2020)

High Court · [2023] UGCOMMC 8 · 2023 Application Dismissed AI-generated summary ↓ Download Pin to watchlist Add to matter
Jurisdiction
Uganda
Case Type
Application to set aside arbitral award arising from Arbitration Cause No. 11 of 2020
Decision
Application dismissed as incompetent without a valid supporting affidavit

Observed later treatment

No later-treatment classification is recorded for this judgment.

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Holding

The High Court dismissed the application to set aside an arbitral award on three preliminary grounds. First, the application was filed beyond the 30-day statutory period prescribed by section 34(3) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, rendering it incurably defective. Second, the supporting affidavit was deposed by a consultant without express authority from the applicant company, contravening Order 3 Rule 1 of the Civil Procedure Rules. Third, the affidavit was prolix and argumentative, violating Order 19 Rule 3. The court struck out the affidavit and dismissed the application as incompetent.

Outcome

Application dismissed as incompetent without a valid supporting affidavit

Facts

The applicant sought to set aside an arbitral award dated 21 September 2020 made in Arbitration Cause No. 11 of 2020. The application was supported by an affidavit deposed by Paul Byoma Byabogambi, described as one of the applicant's consultants on the project subject to arbitration. The respondent opposed the application, raising preliminary objections that the application was filed out of time, that the deponent lacked express authority from the applicant company, and that the affidavit was argumentative. The arbitral award in question superseded an earlier ruling delivered on 27 August 2020. The application was filed on 30 December 2020.

Issues

  1. Whether Miscellaneous Application No. 1269 of 2020 was filed out of time contrary to section 34(3) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act.
  2. Whether the affidavit in support was sworn by an unauthorised person without express authority of the applicant company.
  3. Whether the affidavit in support was argumentative and non-compliant with Order 19 Rule 3 of the Civil Procedure Rules.

Orders

  • The affidavit deposed by Paul Byoma Byabogambi is struck out.
  • Paragraphs 6, 7, 8, and 9 of the affidavit in support are struck out as argumentative.
  • Miscellaneous Application No. 1269 of 2020 is dismissed.
  • No order as to costs.

Rules and key headnotes

Arbitration & ADR — Setting Aside Awards — Time Limits — Section 34(3) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act
An application to set aside an arbitral award must be filed within 30 days from the date of the award as prescribed by section 34(3) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act. An application filed after this statutory period has lapsed is incurably defective and must be dismissed.
Civil Procedure — Affidavits — Authority to Depose — Order 3 Rule 1 of the Civil Procedure Rules
Where an affidavit is sworn on behalf of a company, the deponent must show express authority from the company to depose on its behalf. An affidavit deposed by a consultant or employee without such express authority contravenes Order 3 Rule 1 of the Civil Procedure Rules and is liable to be struck out.
Civil Procedure — Affidavits — Argumentative Matter — Order 19 Rule 3 of the Civil Procedure Rules
Affidavits must be confined to facts within the deponent's own knowledge and must not contain argumentative matter. An affidavit that is prolix and argumentative, where the deponent argues the case rather than stating evidence precisely, is non-compliant with Order 19 Rule 3 of the Civil Procedure Rules and liable to be struck out.

Legislation cited (6)

Cases cited (5)

  • Mohommed Mohommed Hamid v Raka Construction Ltd (Civil Appeal No. 14 of 2015)
  • Makula International Ltd v H.E Cardinal Nsubuga and Another (Civil Appeal No. 4 of 1981)
  • Makerere University v St. Mark Education Institute & Others (HCCS No. 378 of 1993)
  • Masaka Tea Estates Ltd v Somalia (Kiganjo) Tea Estate Ltd & Another (HCMA 505 of 2004)
  • Male H. Mabirizi K Kiwanuka v The Attorney General (Miscellaneous Application No. 7 of 2018)

Full judgment

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The original judgment as reported. Read the original PDF before relying on any passage.

Christian Counselling Fellowship v Ibinonga Construction & General Merchandise (Miscellaneous Application No. 1269 of 2020) [2023] UGCommC 8 (11 January 2023)
Source: this page presents Wakilii’s issue analysis and metadata for a publicly reported Ugandan judgment. Any AI-generated summary is marked as such. Judgment text is sourced from the Uganda Legal Information Institute (ulii.org). Wakilii is not affiliated with ULII.