Top officials from the Ministry of lands have been cited in a massive land grabbing scandal, Business Focus reveals.
According to the documents obtained by this website, the land under contention is divided into several estates worth billions of shillings across Buganda Kingdom.
Some of the estates are based in Kyadondo, Mawokota, Busiro, Gombe, Buganga, Butambala, Bulemezi, Kololo, Kamwokya and Buddu among others.
Documents indicate that the controversial land belonged to the former Buganda Chief, the late Stanislaus Mugwanya.
It is reported that after Mugwanya’s death, the estates remained in the hands of Yowana Mulo Mugwanya, who also died in 1964.
It is further indicated that Yowana Mulo Mugwanya died without leaving a Will and hence no heir to manage the estates.
According to Michael Mulo Mulaggusi, one of the sons of late Yowana Mulo Mugwanya, after the death of their farther, their elder brother Kabusu Wilfred allegedly connived with the Administrator General and fraudulently became the ‘authorized administrator’ of estate but without formal letters of administration.
Mulaggusi further states that after the death of Kabusu Wilfred in Feb 2009, his widow Josephine Nantaya decided to take over from the husband.
“After the death of Kabusu in 2009, the Widow threw the family out, claiming the land was hers,” Mulaggusi said in an interview, adding that the family proceeded to take legal redress from court.
The case was filed in High Court of Uganda, family Division by Jane Kiryokya and other Children of late Kabusu against Josephine Nantaya under civil suit number 82 of 2009.
On August 18, 2009, Lady Justice Christine Akello ordered Josephine Nantaya (Defendant) not to sell any property belonging to the estate of the late Kabusu until disposal of the main suit.
In her ruling, Justice Akello ordered the family (Plaintiffs) to forward the proposed scheme of distribution of properties to Josephine Nantaya (Defendant) within the period of one month.
She also ordered Josephine Nantaya to respond to the proposed scheme of distribution within a period of two weeks.
It is understood that Josephine Nantaya disobeyed all the orders given by Justice Lady Christine Akello and went ahead to use the land.
Mulaggusi states that in 2015, they filed another case under file number 227 of 2015 at the High Court of Uganda.
On 16thApril 2015, High Court Registrar Michela Otto issued an interim order restricting both Parties from using the land.
However, prior to High Court orders, caveats had been lodged in the Ministry of lands also to protect the suit property, but those caveats totaling 575 in number were completely abused by land Registration officials without regard to the law.
Several caveats were lodged in Masaka, Kampala, Mpigi, Gomba, Wakiso, Mukono and Kabarole.
However, according to the documents we have been able to obtain, all officials from lands ministry have suffocated and frustrated any efforts to end this land wrangle as they seem to be with coveted interests in the same land.
In our next story, we shall name and shame the lands officials who have been involved in this land saga and the mess they have caused.
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