Kampala, Uganda:
The High Court Commercial Division has ruled in favour of Meera Investments Limited in a long- running commercial dispute against architectural firm FBW and its directors over the delayed expansion of Kabira Country Club, handing businessman Sudhir Ruparelia’s company a major legal victory.
In a detailed 43-page judgment delivered by Justice Susan Odongo on April 3, 2026, the court found that FBW fundamentally breached its contractual obligations and professional duties after failing to provide usable construction drawings and editable Computer-Aided Design (CAD) files for the ambitious Kabira Country Club extension project.
The court consequently ordered FBW and its architects to refund USD132,750 received from Meera Investments, pay USD108,500 in special damages, USD500,000 in general damages, and meet the costs of the suite together with the awarded sums.
The dispute dates back to a 2012 consultancy agreement under which FBW was contracted to provide a ful construction drawings package for the expansion of Kabira Country Club, one of Kampala’s leading hospitality facilities owned by the Ruparelia Group.
According to court records, the project was temporarily suspended in 2013 before being revived in 2018 with revised timelines intended to facilitate construction works by January 2019.
However, Meera Investments accused the architects of withholding essential editable CAD files despite receiving substantial payments, effectively paralysing the project and forcing the company to hire alternative consultants to redraw the entire project from scratch.
Justice Odongo agreed with Meera Investments’ position, ruling that the defendants’ conduct amounted to “technical obstruction” that frustrated implementation of the project.