Section 14: Jurisdiction of High Court

(1) The High Court shall, subject to the Constitution, have unlimited original jurisdiction in all matters and such appellate and other jurisdiction as may be conferred on it by the Constitution or this Act or any other law. (2) Subject to the Constitution and this Act, the jurisdiction of the High Court shall be exercised- (a) in conformity with the written law, including any law in force immediately before the commencement of this Act; (b) subject to any written law and insofar as the written law does not extend or apply, in conformity with- (i) the common law and the doctrines of equity; (ii) any established and current custom or usage; and (iii) the powers vested in, and the procedure and practice observed by, the High Court immediately before the commencement of this Act insofar as any such jurisdiction is consistent with the provisions of this Act; and (c) where no express law or rule is applicable to any matter in issue before the High Court, in conformity with the principles of justice, equity and good conscience. (3) The applied law, the common law and the doctrines of equity shall be in force only insofar as the circumstances of Uganda and of its peoples permit, and subject to such qualifications as circumstances may render necessary. (4) Subject to subsection (2), in every cause or matter before the High Court, the rules of equity and the rules of common law shall be administered concurrently; and if there is a conflict or variance between the rules of equity and the rules of common law with reference to the same subject, the rules of equity shall prevail. (5) For the purposes of this section, the expressions "common law" and "doctrines of equity" mean those parts of the law of Uganda, other than the written law, the applied law or the customary law, observed and administered by the High Court as the common law and the doctrines of equity respectively.