Land Owner Drags Commissioner for Land Registration to Court Over Defied Vesting Order

Jun 2, 2026 - 06:00

Landowner Drags Commissioner for Land Registration to Court Over Defied Vesting Order

A Ugandan landowner has filed an application for a contempt of court order against the Commissioner for Land Registration before the High Court of Uganda (Land Division) in Kampala, accusing the official of willfully refusing to implement a court order issued nearly a year ago.

Katongole Richard, the Applicant, is in civil prison for disobeying a lawful court order. The matter is scheduled for hearing on the 7th of July, 2026, at 2:30 p.m. before a learned Judge in Chambers.

The dispute stems from Miscellaneous Cause No. 0051 of 2023, in which the Honourable Lady Justice Nakiganda Ida issued an order on 16th July, 2025, directing the Commissioner, Land Registration, to vest approximately 2.2 acres of land comprised in Kyaggwe Block 255, Plot 27 at Lusera-Ntakafunvu, Kyabalogo Parish, Nakisunga Sub-County, Mukono District, into the name of Katongole Richard. The same order further directed the Commissioner to issue a duplicate certificate of title for the said land in the Applicant’s favour.

According to the affidavit sworn by Katongole Richard, the court order was duly extracted, served, and formally received by the Commissioner’s office on the very day it was issued, 16th July, 2025. Despite this, the Applicant says the Commissioner has done nothing to implement it.

In his own efforts to push for compliance, Katongole wrote to the Commissioner on 16th July, 2025, requesting the implementation of the order. When that yielded no results, he escalated the matter on 10th September, 2025, writing directly to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, copying the Commissioner and pleading for urgent intervention. That too, he says, produced no meaningful response.

To date, the Respondent has disobeyed and/or defied the said order by refusing and/or declining to comply with the court order for a period of over eight months, the affidavit reads.

Katongole argues that the Commissioner’s continued inaction amounts to willful disobedience of a lawful court order and directly undermines the authority of the High Court. He is now seeking orders from court to imprison the commissioner for the failed attempt, also compelling the Commissioner to vest the land and issue the duplicate certificate of title, or alternatively, pay a fine to be determined by the court. He is also asking for the costs of the application.

The application is grounded under Section 37 of the Judicature Act, Cap. 16, Sections 64(a) and (e) and 98 of the Civil Procedure Act, Cap. 282, and Order 41 Rules 2(3) and 9 of the Civil Procedure Rules S.I. 71-1.

This case raises broader concerns about the responsiveness of government land registration offices to court-mandated directives, particularly in matters where ordinary citizens have already endured lengthy legal battles to secure their land rights.

The hearing is set for 7th July, 2026.