Court of Appeal
The Constitutional Court/ Court of Appeal of Uganda at Plot 2, The Square, Kampala - Uganda. It came into being following the promulgation of the 1995 Constitution, and the enactment of the Judicature Statute, 1996. Article 134 of the Constitution established the structure of the Court of Appeal.
The Court of Appeal is the second highest court in the land. While presiding over matters , it is duly constituted when it consists of an odd number of not less than three (3) justices of the Court of Appeal. It is this court that constitutes itself into a Constitutional Court in accordance with the Constitution to hear constitutional cases.
The Constitutional Court consists of fifteen (15) justices and handles the matters, issues or cases concerning the interpretation of the Constitution When presiding over a constitutional matter, there must be a quorum of at least five (5) justices of the court.
The procedure, powers and jurisdiction of the Court of Appeal are regulated by the Court of Appeal rules:-
1. The Court of Appeal has appellate jurisdiction.
2. It handles appeals from the High Court of Uganda.
3. It only has original jurisdiction when sitting as a Constitutional Court, otherwise , it has unlimited civil, criminal and constitutional jurisdiction in such matters.
4. Its procedure and powers are governed by the Court of Appeal.
The functions of the Court of Appeal denoted differ from the functions of the judiciary; these are to: -
1. Hear, consider and judge cases and dispose them quickly and fairly in accordance with the law.
2. Interpreting and applying the Constitution and other laws of Uganda.
3. Protecting the rights of an individual and providing remedies in the event of infringement.
4. Formulating and implementing policies regarding operations and management of courts, initiating development and implementing training programs for the development of the judiciary staff.
5. Contribution to the enforcement of law and order; enrolling and licensing advocates, and licensing disciplining court brokers.
6. Keeping custody of laws enacted as well as disseminating legal literature.
7. Receiving Government revenue accruing from Courts
8. Introducing modalities for out of court dispute resolution mechanism to reduce the burden of cases in the courts.
The Honorable Justices of the Court of Appeal.
The Judicature (Court of Appeal Rules) Directions.
