The High Court has fixed June 22, 2026, for hearing a civil suit in which residents of Princess Anne Drive in Bugolobi are challenging the legality of a multi-storey apartment project linked to International Court of Justice (ICJ) Judge Julia Sebutinde.
According to a hearing notice issued by the High Court and signed by Registrar Kintu Simon Zirintusa, the case will come up for hearing at 9:00 a.m. before the High Court in Kampala.
The suit was filed by residents and neighboring property owners, including Pius Bigirimana, Umutesi Loreta, Grace Natukunda and Ssempala Kato Jerry, against Lady Justice Julia Sebutinde, her husband John Bagunywa Ssebutinde, site supervisor Joseph Wamala and Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).
At the center of the dispute is a multi-storey apartment block under construction at Plot 8, Princess Anne Drive, Bugolobi, which residents contend was approved and constructed in violation of applicable building regulations.
The hearing marks a significant step in a dispute that has been brewing for several years and has already generated both civil and criminal proceedings.
In January this year, the High Court granted a temporary injunction stopping further construction on the apartment project after finding that the residents had raised serious questions requiring determination at a full trial. The court held that the applicants had established a prima facie case and that continued construction would occasion irreparable harm, including alleged invasion of privacy, dust, noise and disruption to neighboring residences.
The injunction remains in force pending determination of the substantive suit.
The matter has also spilled into the criminal courts. Earlier this year, the High Court dismissed an application seeking to block a private criminal prosecution arising from allegations that a KCCA stop order issued against the construction project was ignored.
In that ruling, Justice Alex Mackay Ajiji rejected attempts to halt the criminal proceedings, holding that the issues raised by the applicants should be determined during trial rather than through preliminary applications. The judge further directed that the criminal case be fast-tracked.
With the main civil suit now fixed for hearing, all eyes will be on the High Court as it begins examining whether the approvals obtained for the Bugolobi apartment project complied with Uganda’s planning and building laws.
The outcome of the case is expected to have far-reaching implications for urban development, regulatory enforcement and accountability in Kampala’s increasingly contested residential neighborhoods.
