Chasing the rain: climate change litigation and Uganda’s pursuit for climate justice

Abstract

Across the globe, communities are increasingly turning to the law to confront the urgent realities of climate change. In countries like Uganda, where the effects of rising temperatures are already evident through prolonged droughts, unpredictable rainfall, landslides, and floods, the search for climate justice has become critical. This research investigates whether climate change litigation can serve as an effective strategy for promoting climate justice in Uganda, examining how national and international legal frameworks may be harnessed to hold public and private actors accountable and protect vulnerable groups. Using doctrinal legal research, the study analyses key legal instruments including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement, the African Charter on Human and Peoples‘ Rights, Uganda‘s 1995 Constitution, and the National Climate Change Act, Cap 182. Through the lens of climate justice, it explores how legal remedies grounded in human rights law and tort principles may be employed to demand stronger climate action and challenge harmful practices or omissions. The main objective of the research is to examine the potential of climate change litigation as a tool for addressing issues of justice and inequality related to climate impacts in Uganda. The findings show that while Uganda‘s legal framework contains provisions that support such litigation, including rights-based guarantees and statutory obligations, actual cases remain rare. Challenges such as limited judicial engagement, procedural obstacles, and weak implementation of legal obligations continue to impede progress. The study recommends increasing public awareness of legal rights, improving judicial expertise in climate-related issues, and encouraging strategic litigation through civil society efforts. It concludes that with stronger institutional support and legal advocacy, climate litigation in Uganda could evolve into a significant force for equity and accountability in the face of escalating climate threats