Constitutional Court / Court of Appeal

The Court of Appeal is the second highest court in the land. While presiding over matters, it is duly constituted when it consists of an odd number of not less than three (3) justices of the Court of Appeal. It is this court that constitutes itself into a Constitutional Court in accordance with the Constitution to hear constitutional cases.

Location

The Constitutional Court/ Court of Appeal of Uganda is located on **fourth floor Twed Towers along Kafu Road, Nakasero, Kampala**. It came into being following the promulgation of the 1995 Constitution, and the enactment of the Judicature Statute, 1996. Article 134 of the Constitution established the structure of the Court of Appeal.

Composition

The Constitutional Court consists of **fifteen (15) justices** and handles the matters, issues or cases concerning the interpretation of the Constitution. When presiding over a constitutional matter, there must be a quorum of at least **five (5) justices** of the court.

Jurisdiction

The procedure, powers and jurisdiction of the Court of Appeal are regulated by the **Court of Appeal Rules**:

1. **Appellate Jurisdiction**: The Court of Appeal has appellate jurisdiction and handles appeals from the High Court of Uganda
2. **Original Jurisdiction**: It only has original jurisdiction when sitting as a Constitutional Court
3. **Unlimited Jurisdiction**: Unlimited civil, criminal and constitutional jurisdiction in such matters

Functions of the Court of Appeal

The functions of the Court of Appeal differ from the functions of the judiciary; these are to:

1. **Hear and Judge Cases**: Hear, consider and judge cases and dispose them quickly and fairly in accordance with the law
2. **Interpretation**: Interpreting and applying the Constitution and other laws of Uganda
3. **Rights Protection**: Protecting the rights of an individual and providing remedies in the event of infringement
4. **Policy Formulation**: Formulating and implementing policies regarding operations and management of courts, initiating development and implementing training programs for the development of the judiciary staff
5. **Law Enforcement**: Contribution to the enforcement of law and order
6. **Legal Profession**: Enrolling and licensing advocates, and licensing disciplining court brokers
7. **Legal Literature**: Keeping custody of laws enacted as well as disseminating legal literature
8. **Revenue Collection**: Receiving Government revenue accruing from Courts
9. **Alternative Dispute Resolution**: Introducing options for out of court dispute resolution mechanism to reduce the burden of cases in the courts