Wakilii

Kayanja Hamidu Bugembe v Senyondo Abdu Kareem and Another [2026] UGHCLD 94

High Court · 2026 Suit Dismissed for Want of Prosecution AI-generated summary ↓ Download Pin to watchlist Add to matter
Jurisdiction
Uganda
Case Type
Court's own motion ruling on whether a first instance land suit should be dismissed for want of prosecution
Decision
Suit dismissed for want of prosecution with no order as to costs

Observed later treatment

No later-treatment classification is recorded for this judgment.

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Holding

The Court, invoking its inherent powers under section 17(2)(a) of the Judicature Act and section 98 of the Civil Procedure Act, dismissed the suit for want of prosecution. Since filing the plaint in February 2025 the plaintiff had filed no further pleadings or documents and had taken no step to move the matter forward. The Court held that a plaintiff seeking a remedy must take all steps available to secure expeditious determination of the claim, and that a litigant cannot file a suit and leave it to the court to progress. No order as to costs was made.

Outcome

Suit dismissed for want of prosecution with no order as to costs

Facts

The plaintiff filed a plaint on ECCMIS on 14 February 2025 in the Land Division of the High Court against Senyondo Abdu Kareem and the Commissioner Land Registration. Thereafter the plaintiff filed no further pleadings or documents in the matter and took no step to prosecute or otherwise progress the suit. The Court, on considering the state of the record, addressed whether the suit should be permitted to remain on the register.

Issues

  1. Whether the suit should be dismissed for want of prosecution where the plaintiff filed only a plaint and took no further steps to prosecute the claim.

Orders

  • The suit is dismissed for want of prosecution under Section 17(2)(a) of the Judicature Act Cap 16 and Section 98 of the Civil Procedure Act Cap 282.
  • There is no order as to costs.

Rules and key headnotes

Civil Procedure — Dismissal for Want of Prosecution — Duty of Plaintiff to Prosecute Diligently
A plaintiff in pursuit of a remedy must take all necessary steps available to secure an expeditious determination of the claim; where a plaintiff files a plaint and thereafter takes no step to prosecute the suit, the suit may be dismissed for want of prosecution.
Civil Procedure — Inherent Powers of Court — Curtailing Delay and Preventing Abuse of Process
The High Court may exercise its inherent powers under section 17(2)(a) of the Judicature Act and section 98 of the Civil Procedure Act to curtail delay, prevent abuse of the process of court and discontinue delayed proceedings, including by dismissing a dormant suit.

Legislation cited (2)

Cases cited (1)

  • Nilani Vs. Patel & others (1969) EA, 340, at page 341

Full judgment

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

Kayanja Hamidu Bugembe v Senyondo Abdu Kareem and Another [2026] UGHCLD 94 (18 March 2026)
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.