Businesswoman sued Mandela Millers over undelivered goods. Judge said case was filed in wrong court

Sheila Orikiriza, a Kabale-based businesswoman who sued Mandela Millers, demanding Shs 50.8 million for goods she says were never delivered, has suffered a setback after filing the case in the wrong court.

Orikiriza claimed she paid Mandela Millers Shs 37 million for goods that were never delivered to her. She also wanted court to give her a further Shs 13 million in special damages.

But Justice Karoli Lwanga Ssemogerere said Orikiriza should have taken the matter to the Kabale Chief Magistrates Court and dismissed her application.

The ruling follows a preliminary objection raised by the lawyers for Mandela Millers, questioning whether the High Court even had jurisdiction to hear a case of this size.

The lawyers also said that from the records, it is Orikiriza who owes Mandela Millers money. The lawyers said a mistake was made somewhere along the way and a much larger quantity of goods than was paid for ended up being delivered to Orikiriza.

The company says that some of the money she sent was used to balance out this extra delivery, and that she still owes them Shs 7.8 million for goods she received but never paid for.

Before any evidence about who owes who could even be looked at, Mandela Millers had already raised their preliminary objection.

Justice Ssemogerere agreed with the lawyers’ objection, pointing out a recent change in the law, the Magistrates Courts Amendment Act of 2026, which increased the amount of money that magistrates’ courts are now allowed to handle.

Because of this change, Justice Ssemogerere said a case involving sums like the ones in this dispute no longer needs to go to the High Court. He said it must now be handled by a chief magistrate.

He quoted section 17(1) of the new law, which deals with cases that were already sitting in the High Court when the law changed.

“It states that such a case shall be transferred to the court presided over by a chief magistrate and be heard by that court if the hearing of the case before the High Court had not commenced or if the High Court is satisfied that it is fair for such transfer to be made,” he ruled.

Since Orikiriza’s case had been filed on December 1, 2025 and full hearing had not yet started, Justice Ssemogerere said it fell squarely within this provision.

In the end, he ordered that the entire case be transferred to the Kabale Chief Magistrates Court, where it will now be tried and decided on its actual merits.

What this means for Orikiriza and Mandela Millers is that the real fight over the money is only just beginning, only that now it will happen in a different courtroom.

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