Wakilii

Kasule v Mugerwa & 2 Ors (Civil Suit No. 006 2002)

High Court · [2012] UGHC 298 · 2012 Judgment for Plaintiff AI-generated summary ↓ Download Pin to watchlist Add to matter
Jurisdiction
Uganda
Case Type
First instance civil suit for wrongful eviction and recovery of damages
Decision
Plaintiff awarded general damages of UGX 7,000,000 with interest at 18% per annum from judgment; special damages claims dismissed; costs awarded to plaintiff against second defendant

Observed later treatment

No later-treatment classification is recorded for this judgment.

Citator coverage is limited to judgments in the Wakilii corpus and source-matched treatment records. Absence of a signal is not an assertion that the case remains good law.

AI-generated summary. This summary was generated by AI from the full text of the judgment. It may contain errors or omissions—always read the source judgment before relying on it.

Holding

The court found that the third defendant wrongfully evicted the plaintiff from commercial premises on 7 August 2001 and removed his merchandise without notice. Special damages claims failed for lack of strict proof. General damages of UGX 7,000,000 were awarded against the second defendant for mental anguish, shame and humiliation caused by the illegal eviction. The court held that the second defendant was properly liable as the resident party in charge of the property.

Outcome

Plaintiff awarded general damages of UGX 7,000,000 with interest at 18% per annum from judgment; special damages claims dismissed; costs awarded to plaintiff against second defendant

Facts

In 1980, the plaintiff obtained authority from the Departed Asians Properties Custodian Board to erect a commercial structure on plot 18 Grant Street, Masaka, and operated a business there paying rent. In 2000, the first defendant obtained a lease on the property and the plaintiff paid rent at UGX 20,000 per month. On 7 August 2001, the second and third defendants evicted the plaintiff without notice, breaking the lock and removing his merchandise. The plaintiff was not present during the eviction. Two RDCs visited the premises and met the second defendant, who stated that the plaintiff as a poor man could not proceed against rich defendants. A witness saw the third defendant cut the lock at 10:00 a.m., ferry merchandise with two mechanics, and later remove goods by lorry. The second defendant was the resident party in charge of the property on behalf of his sons.

Issues

  1. Whether the defendants evicted the plaintiff and took away his merchandise.
  2. Whether the plaintiff is entitled to the reliefs he seeks in the plaint.

Orders

  • General damages of UGX 7,000,000 awarded to the plaintiff against the second defendant.
  • Interest at 18% per annum on general damages from date of judgment until payment in full.
  • Special damages claims dismissed for lack of strict proof.
  • Costs of the suit awarded to the plaintiff against the second defendant.
  • First defendant found to have no capacity to sue or be sued.

Rules and key headnotes

Evidence — Special Damages — Burden of Proof — Requirement for Specific Pleading and Strict Proof
Special damages must be both specifically pleaded and strictly proved. A claimant who pleads special damages but fails during the hearing to prove strictly the items, quantities, and values claimed will not recover such damages.
Tort Law — Wrongful Eviction — Liability of Landlord's Agent — General Damages for Mental Anguish
A person who wrongfully evicts a tenant without notice and removes their property is liable in damages for mental anguish, shame and humiliation caused to the tenant. Where the eviction is carried out by family members, the resident party in charge of the property may be held liable as the proper defendant.
Damages & Quantum — General Damages — Assessment for Wrongful Eviction — Interest on Award
General damages for wrongful eviction may be awarded to compensate for mental anguish, shame and humiliation arising from illegal actions. Such awards carry interest from the date of judgment until payment in full.

Cases cited (1)

  • Nordin Charamia Walji v Drake Ssemakula (SC Civil Appeal No. 40 of 1995)

Full judgment

↓ Download PDF

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

Kasule v Mugerwa & 2 Ors (Civil Suit No. 006_2002) [2012] UGHC 298 (12 October 2012)
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.