Drama in Bugolobi after residents of Princess Anna Drive reportedly dragged retired Ugandan judge and International Court of Justice (ICJ) judge Julia Sebutinde to court over an alleged illegal construction project.
According to court documents, the residents, together with their LC1 leadership, accuse Justice Sebutinde and her husband of flouting Uganda’s Building Control Act by putting up a six-storey apartment block in a quiet residential area.
The neighbours claim Sebutinde sought approval from the KCCA Building Committee to construct the multi-storey apartments but was rejected on grounds that the project didn’t fit the residential zoning of the area.
Despite that rejection, residents say she went ahead and obtained what they call an “irregular” construction licence from the KCCA Director of Physical Planning on April 7, 2022 even as neighbours and local leaders were already objecting.
Bugolobi LC1 leadership reportedly wrote to KCCA in June 2022, formally protesting the project as Construction allegedly kicked off in August 2025, sparking fresh outrage in the neighbourhood. Another protest letter followed in October 2025.
On November 20, 2025, KCCA issued a directive ordering the immediate stoppage of the construction works. But residents claim the order was ignored and according to affidavits, construction instead intensified, with workers operating day and night in a rush to roof the building.
The matter has now spilled into court. On December 22, 2025, criminal summons were issued at Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court, ordering Justice Sebutinde to halt construction and appear in court on January 6, 2026.
At the same time, residents filed a civil suit in the High Court, seeking enforcement of the Building Control Act. The court has already directed Sebutinde to file her defence.
