[2001] UGHC 90

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{\nofpages4}{\nofwords1029}{\nofchars5866}{\nofcharsws6882}{\vern24689}}\widowctrl\ftnbj\aenddoc\noxlattoyen\expshrtn\noultrlspc\dntblnsbdb\nospaceforul\hyphcaps0\formshade\horzdoc\dgmargin\dghspace180\dgvspace180\dghorigin1800\dgvorigin1440\dghshow1 \dgvshow1\jexpand\viewkind1\viewscale100\pgbrdrhead\pgbrdrfoot\splytwnine\ftnlytwnine\htmautsp\nolnhtadjtbl\useltbaln\alntblind\lytcalctblwd\lyttblrtgr\lnbrkrule\nobrkwrptbl\snaptogridincell\allowfieldendsel\wrppunct \asianbrkrule\rsidroot4350754\newtblstyruls\nogrowautofit \fet0\sectd \linex0\endnhere\sectlinegrid360\sectdefaultcl\sftnbj {\*\pnseclvl1\pnucrm\pnstart1\pnindent720\pnhang {\pntxta .}}{\*\pnseclvl2\pnucltr\pnstart1\pnindent720\pnhang {\pntxta .}} {\*\pnseclvl3\pndec\pnstart1\pnindent720\pnhang {\pntxta .}}{\*\pnseclvl4\pnlcltr\pnstart1\pnindent720\pnhang {\pntxta )}}{\*\pnseclvl5\pndec\pnstart1\pnindent720\pnhang {\pntxtb (}{\pntxta )}}{\*\pnseclvl6\pnlcltr\pnstart1\pnindent720\pnhang {\pntxtb (} {\pntxta )}}{\*\pnseclvl7\pnlcrm\pnstart1\pnindent720\pnhang {\pntxtb (}{\pntxta )}}{\*\pnseclvl8\pnlcltr\pnstart1\pnindent720\pnhang {\pntxtb (}{\pntxta )}}{\*\pnseclvl9\pnlcrm\pnstart1\pnindent720\pnhang {\pntxtb (}{\pntxta )}}\pard\plain \s15\qc \li0\ri0\sb100\sa240\sbauto1\sl360\slmult1\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid11081402 \fs24\lang1033\langfe1033\cgrid\langnp1033\langfenp1033 {\b\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA}{ \insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 \par }{\b\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 IN THE H}{\b\insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 IGH COURT OF UGANDA AT KAMPALA}{\insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 \par }{\b\insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 CIV}{\b\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 IL APPEAL 67 OF 1998}{\insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 \par }\pard \s15\qj \li0\ri0\sb100\sa240\sbauto1\sl360\slmult1\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid11081402 {\b\insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 DOMINIKO SSALONGO\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85 \'85\'85. APPELLANT \par }\pard \s15\qc \li0\ri0\sb100\sa240\sbauto1\sl360\slmult1\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid11081402 {\b\insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 VERSUS \par }\pard \s15\qj \li0\ri0\sb100\sa240\sbauto1\sl360\slmult1\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid11081402 {\b\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 EKOYASI }{\b\insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 KIWANU}{ \b\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 KA}{\b\insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 \'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85\'85.}{\b\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 }{\b\insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 RESPONDENT \par }{\b\ul\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 Before: The . Honourable Mr. Justice E. S. Lugayizi }{\b\ul\insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 \par }\pard \s15\qc \li0\ri0\sb100\sa240\sbauto1\sl360\slmult1\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid11081402 {\b\ul\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 JUDGMENT }{\insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 \par }\pard \s15\qj \li0\ri0\sb100\sa240\sbauto1\sl360\slmult1\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid11081402 {\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 This is an appeal. The appellant brought it before this Honourable Court under Order 39 of the CPR. The background to it is as follows. The respondent sued the appellant under Mpigi Magistrate\rquote s Court Civil Suit No. 26 of 1997. That suit was later heard ex parte; and on 26th February 1998 the respondent obtained judgement against the appellant. Following that event, the appellant applied to the Grade 1 Magistrate of Mpigi by way of Notice of Motion under Order 9 rule 24 of the CPR to have the said judgment set aside and unconditional leave to defend the suit. In his ruling dated 5th August 1998 the said Magistrate dismissed the application on t wo grounds. Firstly, that its Notice of Motion was incurably bad because it cited grounds which were outside the accepted ones under Order 9 rule 24 of the CPR. Secondly, that the appellant\rquote s affidavit failed to show that he was not duly served with summons. The appellant was not satisfied with the learned magistrate\rquote s decision. Hence this appeal. The Memorandum of Appeal cited four grounds of}{\insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 appeal, which are as follows, \par }{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 1. The trial Magistrate erred both in law and fact by upholding that service in the Newspaper was proper when the respondent made no effort to serve the appellant in person or through the members of h}{ \insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 is family. \par }{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 2.}{\i\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 }{\insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 The trial Magistrate erred in la}{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 w by}{\insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 basing his deci}{ \insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 sion on procedural technicality contrary to t}{\insrsid4609021\charrsid9337139 he constitutional }{\insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 provisions. \par }{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 3. The trial Magistrate misdirected himself and erred both in law and fact by ignoring the appellant\rquote s notice of motion and affidavit which clearly affirm that the appellant was never served with Court summons.

\par }{\insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 4.}{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 The trial Magistrate misdirected himself and erred both in law and fact by ignoring the appellant\rquote s notice of motion and affidavit which disclose cau}{ \insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 se for non-appearance. \par }{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 At the time of hearing the appeal Mr. Arinaitwe represented the appellant and the respondent represented himself. Mr. Arin aitwe abandoned the second ground of appeal. He consolidated the rest of the grounds and argued them under. }{\insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 T}{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 h}{\insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 e first ground of}{ \insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 }{\insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 appeal. In essence}{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 , he}{\insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 submitted that }{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 the learned magistrate erred by upholding that }{\insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 service upon the appellant by w}{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 ay of newspa per was proper when the respondent made no effort to serve the appellant in person or through a member of his family. He pointed out that since in the instant case the appellant and the respondent were neighbours, it was very difficult to justify substitu ted service. In his view, the appellant was not served. Mr. Arinaitwe relied on }{\b\ul\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 Omuchito v Machiwa (1966) E. A. 229 }{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 for}{\b\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 }{ \insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 that position. He concluded by calling upon Court to allow the appeal and }{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 to set }{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 aside the magistrate\rquote s ruling and the ex parte judgment. He also prayed that the appellant be granted leave to defend Mp}{\insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 igi Civil Suit No. 26 of 1997. \par }{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 On his part, the respondent submitted that the learned magistrate\rquote s ruling was proper because the appellant was duly}{\insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 served through the newspaper. \par }{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 Be that as it may, since the appellant\rquote s advocate abandoned the second ground of appeal, Court would have had no compelling reason to return to it. However, on further reflection Court thinks that the said ground was an important one since it was supposed to address one of the two reasons the learned trial magistrate gave for dismissing the application. Consequently, in the interest of justice, Court will invoke its inherent powers with a view to finding out, first of all, whether the learned magistrate wa s justified in rejecting the Notice of Motion on the ground that it did not comply with Order 9 rule 24 of the CPR. In deed, Court agrees that the grounds that were cited in the appellant\rquote s Notice of Motion (i.e. a good defence for the suit; and the need to have justice done) are not what Order 9 rule 24 of the CPR specifies in an application of that nature. However, that anomaly on its own was not capable of invalidating the Notice of Motion. This is particularly so, since the affidavit that accompanied th e said Notice of Motion cited non-service of the appellant }{\insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 as the ground for the applicatio}{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 n. In effect, the defect in the Notice of Motion was not \line }{ \insrsid4609021\charrsid9337139 \'85for it was cured by the contents }{\insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 of the appellant\rquote s affidavit}{\insrsid4609021\charrsid9337139 }{\b\insrsid4609021\charrsid9337139 (See;}{\b\insrsid11081402\charrsid9337139 }{ \b\ul\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 Brooke}{\b\ul\insrsid4609021\charrsid9337139 Bond Lie}{\b\ul\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 big (T}{\b\ul\insrsid4609021\charrsid9337139 ) Ltd v Mall}{\b\ul\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 ya at the bottom of page}{ \b\ul\insrsid4609021\charrsid9337139 }{\b\ul\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 268}{\b\ul\insrsid4609021\charrsid9337139 ;}{\b\ul\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 and \line Article 126 (e) of the Constitution). }{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 In}{ \b\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 }{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 the circumstances, Court is of the \line opinion th}{\insrsid4609021\charrsid9337139 a}{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 t the learned magistrate was not justified in rejecting the appellant\rquote s \line Notice of Motion on the ground that it did not comply with the requirements of }{\insrsid4609021\charrsid9337139 \line Order 9 rule 24 of the CPR. \par }\pard \s15\qj \li0\ri0\sb100\sa240\sbauto1\sl360\slmult1\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid4609021 {\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 This takes us to the sole ground of appeal that Mr. Arinaitwe relied on during the hearing of the appeal. In that area, the law insists on personal service of the summons upon the party who is supposed to be served. If, that is not possible then service must be effected upon that party\rquote s agent or upon a member of that party\rquote s family. It is only when all that fails that substituted service may be resorted to and not before. (See }{\b\ul\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 Order }{ \ul\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 5}{\i\ul\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 }{\b\ul\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 rules 1, 2, 11 and 14 of the CPR }{\b\ul\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 and Omuchito v Machiwa}{\ul\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 \emdash }{\b\ul\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 supra). }{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 It is important to remember that the learned magistrate in his judgment took note of the fact that the appellant deposed in his affidavit that he was not served with the summons before the ex parte judgment was entered against him. It is also important to keep in mind that the learned magistrate preferred the}{\insrsid4609021\charrsid9337139 respondent\rquote s evidence }{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 to}{\insrsid4609021\charrsid9337139 }{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 the}{ \insrsid4609021\charrsid9337139 e}{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 ff}{\insrsid4609021\charrsid9337139 ect that }{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 the appellant was served by way of }{\insrsid4609021\charrsid9337139 substituted service through the }{ \insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 newspaper. The important question to answer therefore is whether the learned magistrate satisfied himself before rejecting the appellant\rquote s evidence and accepting the respondent\rquote s evidence that the latter had failed to find the appellant or his agent or a member of his family to serve them? The record does not show that he did so. For that reason, the learned magistrate should not, have found that the appellant was properly served. (See }{\ul\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 Omuchito v Machiwa -supra). }{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 Court therefore agrees with the appellant \rquote s advocate that the first ground of appeal must succeed. All in all, this appeal has succeeded; and it is so ordered. In the circumstances, Court here}{\insrsid9337139\charrsid9337139 by makes the following orders, \par }{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 1. The learned magis}{\insrsid9337139\charrsid9337139 trate\rquote s ruling dated 5}{\super\insrsid9337139\charrsid9337139 th}{\insrsid9337139\charrsid9337139 August 1998 is set aside forthwith. \par }{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 2. The ex parte judgment dated }{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 26}{\super\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 th}{\b\insrsid9337139\charrsid9337139 }{\insrsid9337139\charrsid9337139 February 1998 and }{ \insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 any decree mad}{\insrsid9337139\charrsid9337139 e thereunder together with the }{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 proceedings connected to tho}{\insrsid9337139 se orders are also set }{\insrsid9337139\charrsid9337139 aside.

\par }{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 3. The appellant is grante}{\insrsid9337139\charrsid9337139 d leave to file his defence in }{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 respect of Mpigi Magis}{\insrsid9337139\charrsid9337139 trate\rquote s Civil Suit No.26 of 97 }{ \insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 within 15 days f}{\insrsid9337139\charrsid9337139 rom the date of this judgment. \par }{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 4. T}{\insrsid9337139\charrsid9337139 he costs of this appeal shall abide the outcome of the above civil suit.}{\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 \line }{\insrsid9337139\charrsid9337139 \par }\pard \s15\qj \fi720\li5760\ri0\sb100\sa240\sbauto1\sl360\slmult1\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin5760\itap0\pararsid9337139 {\b\insrsid9337139\charrsid9337139 E. S LUGAYIZI}{\b\insrsid4350754\charrsid9337139 \par }{\b\insrsid9337139\charrsid9337139 JUDGE \par 24/05/2001 \par }}