Wakilii

Yemane Ghebresiiassie Abreham v Lulya & Dawit General Trading Company Ltd (Miscellaneous Application No. 94 of 2026)

High Court · [2026] UGCOMMC 255 · 2026 Application Dismissed AI-generated summary ↓ Download Pin to watchlist Add to matter
Jurisdiction
Uganda
Case Type
Application for leave to appear and defend arising from summary suit for debt recovery
Decision
Default judgment entered against the applicant for failure to prosecute application for leave to defend

Observed later treatment

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Holding

The High Court dismissed the applicant's application for leave to appear and defend a summary suit for failure to prosecute. The applicant and his counsel failed to attend court on the third scheduled hearing date and provided no supporting documents despite two prior adjournments granted for that purpose. Default judgment was entered against the applicant for USD 3,236,100 plus interest at court rate and costs.

Outcome

Default judgment entered against the applicant for failure to prosecute application for leave to defend

Facts

The respondent plaintiff filed a summary suit against the applicant defendant claiming USD 3,236,100. The applicant filed an application for leave to appear and defend. The matter came before court on three occasions. On the first two hearings, the court noted that the application lacked supporting documents necessary to determine whether the applicant had a defence. The matter was adjourned twice to enable the applicant to provide relevant documents. On 13 May 2026, the matter was adjourned to 25 May 2026 in the presence of the applicant's counsel. The respondent wrote to the applicant's counsel on Friday requesting information by way of affidavit in rejoinder. On 25 May 2026, neither the applicant nor his counsel appeared in court, and no justifiable reason was provided for their absence.

Issues

  1. Whether the applicant should be granted leave to appear and defend the summary suit.
  2. Whether the application should be dismissed for failure to prosecute.

Orders

  • Application for leave to appear and defend dismissed pursuant to Order 17 rule 4 of the Civil Procedure Rules.
  • Default judgment entered against the applicant for USD 3,236,100.
  • Interest at court rate awarded from the date of default judgment until payment in full.
  • Costs awarded to the respondent.

Rules and key headnotes

Civil Procedure — Applications — Failure to Prosecute — Dismissal under Order 17 rule 4
Where an applicant seeking leave to appear and defend fails to attend court on the third scheduled hearing date without justifiable reason, and has failed on two prior occasions to provide supporting documents necessary for the court to determine the application, the court may dismiss the application for failure to prosecute pursuant to Order 17 rule 4 of the Civil Procedure Rules.
Commercial Law — Summary Suits — Leave to Defend — Default Judgment
Where an application for leave to appear and defend a summary suit is dismissed for failure to prosecute, the court may enter default judgment against the defendant for the sum claimed in the summary suit together with interest and costs.

Legislation cited (1)

Full judgment

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Yemane Ghebresiiassie Abreham v Lulya & Dawit General Trading Company Ltd (Miscellaneous Application No. 94 of 2026) [2026] UGCommC 255 (25 May 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.