The Industrial Court in Kampala has awarded UGX 2.4 million in damages to a former security guard of Lugazi Homeland College after ruling that the school unlawfully terminated his employment without notice or compensation.
In a judgment delivered on June 4, Justice Anthony Wabwire Musana, alongside a panel of Industrial Court members, found that the dismissal of Busesire Johnson violated labour laws and caused him emotional and financial hardship.
Court records indicate that Johnson had worked at the school as a security officer since December 2015, earning a monthly salary of UGX 200,000. He told court that his contract, which was periodically renewed, was abruptly terminated in January 2020 without prior notice, disciplinary hearing, or payment of his dues.
After losing his job, Johnson reported the matter to the Labour Officer in Lugazi, who awarded him one month’s salary as severance pay. However, dissatisfied with the award, he petitioned the Industrial Court seeking revised compensation, general damages, aggravated damages, interest, and legal costs.
The school did not file any defence or appear in court despite receiving hearing notices, forcing the matter to proceed ex-parte.
During the hearing, a former colleague, Omurwon Mica, testified that she worked with Johnson in the school’s security department and confirmed that several employees, including guards, cooks, and teachers, were dismissed on the same day without any disciplinary process.
Johnson’s lawyers argued that the Labour Officer had wrongly computed severance pay and urged the court to grant more compensation based on his years of service.
However, the Industrial Court set aside the severance award entirely, explaining that severance pay under the Employment Act applies to unfair dismissal and not unlawful termination.
The judges instead awarded Johnson general damages worth UGX 2.4 million, equivalent to one year’s salary, after considering his age, family responsibilities, and limited employment prospects.
In its ruling, the court noted that Johnson was 51 years old and the sole breadwinner for six school-going children, factors it said worsened the impact of the sudden job loss.
The court declined to award aggravated damages, saying there was insufficient evidence to prove that the school acted maliciously or in a degrading manner. It also rejected Johnson’s request for salary arrears from the date of dismissal to the date of judgment, ruling that salary is only payable for work done.
The court further ordered the school to pay interest on the award at a commercial rate of 12 percent per annum until full payment, in addition to covering the taxed costs of the suit.
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