KATS argues the landmark case of Susan Kigula and 416 Others v Attorney General – a constitutional petition by 417 death row inmates challenging the constitutionality of the death penalty in Uganda.
This case is the first and only one of its kind anywhere in the world. It is the first class action by all prisoners on death row in any one country, seeking to have the death penalty expunged.
As a result of this case, mandatory death sentences in Uganda are abolished and to date, no civilian executions have taken place in Uganda since 2001.
Relying on this judgment, seven other African countries abolish mandatory death sentences. In neighbouring Kenya, then President, Mwai Kibaki, commutes over 4,000 death sentences to life imprisonment.