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 be heard at 9am before the High Court in Kampala.
The suit was filed by residents and neighbouring property owners, including Pius Bigirimana, Umutesi Loreta, Grace Natukunda and Jerry Ssempala Kato, against Lady Justice Julia Sebutinde, her husband John Bagunywa Ssebutinde, site supervisor Joseph Wamala and the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).
At the centre of the dispute is a multi-storey apartment block under construction at Plot 8, Princess Anne Drive in Bugolobi, which residents allege was approved and built in violation of planning and building regulations.
The hearing marks a significant step in a dispute that has been ongoing for several years and has already generated both civil and criminal proceedings.
In January this year, the High Court issued a temporary injunction stopping further construction on the apartment project after finding that the residents had raised serious issues requiring a full trial.
The court held that the applicants had established a prima facie case and that continued construction risked causing irreparable harm, including alleged invasion of privacy, dust, noise and disruption to neighbouring homes.
The injunction remains in force pending determination of the main suit.
The dispute has also extended 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 Kampala Capital City Authority 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 should be determined at trial rather than through preliminary applications. The judge also directed that the criminal case be fast-tracked.
With the civil suit now scheduled for hearing, the High Court will begin examining whether approvals granted for the Bugolobi apartment project complied with Uganda’s planning and building laws.
The outcome is expected to have implications for urban development enforcement, regulatory compliance and accountability in Kampala’s increasingly contested residential neighbourhoods.
