The Court of Appeal will next week hear 25 criminal appeals during a two-day session in Kabale, as the Judiciary moves to bring appellate services closer to litigants in the region.
The session, scheduled for November 19 and 20, 2026, will be presided over by a panel of three Justices comprising Geoffrey Kiryabwire, Cornelia Kakooza Sabiiti and Musa Ssekaana.
Ahead of the session, Justices Kakooza Sabiiti and Ssekaana on Wednesday held a hybrid pre-hearing meeting at the Court of Appeal in Kampala to assess preparedness and address any logistical or procedural gaps that could affect the smooth conduct of the proceedings.
The meeting was attended by the Court of Appeal Registrar, Allen Rukundo Owembabazi, research magistrates attached to the presiding Justices, Senior Systems Administrator Dennis Rwatooro and court clerk Experito Ssebayigga.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) was represented by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Kulu Idambi.
The appellants participated from Masaka Women’s Prison and Kabale High Court, while their respective legal representatives attended either physically or virtually. Relatives of a victim in one of the cases also participated in the meeting.
According to the cause list issued by the Registrar, murder cases constitute the largest category of appeals, with 11 cases scheduled for hearing, followed by eight appeals involving aggravated defilement.
The court will also hear four appeals arising from rape convictions, as well as one appeal each involving aggravated robbery and attempted murder.
Among the cases listed is an appeal by a convict challenging a sentence of natural life imprisonment imposed following his conviction for murder.
The two-day session is expected to provide an opportunity for appellants to have their cases reviewed by the country’s highest appellate court without having to travel to Kampala, bringing judicial services closer to communities in the region.
