Businessman wants summons to explain self before land probe

Kampala. A businessman, who was accused by Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) before the ongoing land probe of grabbing a piece of land in Kampala, has said the commission of inquiry chaired by Justice Catherine Bamugemereire has denied him a chance to defend himself.
Mr Festo Kasajja was in February accused by KCCA director for Education and Social Services, Ms Juliet Namuddu Nambi, of grabbing Nakivuvo Blue Primary School’s land.
On July 4, Mr Kasajja wrote to the commission offering to defend himself against the allegations made.

“On February 14, the KCCA director of Education and Social Services ... made several allegations against me. I waited hoping that the Commission would invite me to make some clarification ... in vain,” Mr Kasajja, 64, said in his petition.
Speaking to Saturday Monitor, Mr Kasajja said he suspects his letter asking to appear before the commission has not been delivered to Justice Bamugemereire.
He said he spent more than Shs1b to put up a structure after striking an agreement with the management committee of Nakivuvo Blue Primary School in 1995.

Upon completion and handover of the building, he said, he was supposed to be paid with a plot of land just next to it. But, he has never received the plot and has of late been forced to pay ground rent and income tax for the property by KCCA and Uganda Revenue Authority despite not being the landlord.
Mr Kasajja said he handed over the building to the school in 2003 hoping to get the land title for the plot in fulfilment of the school’s side of the bargain but the then Kampala City Council authorities told him the land belonged to Uganda Land Commission.
“ My Lord, I request that you help me access justice by forcing the current management to vacate the building and also pay back to me the money they have been collecting from the tenants since 2012 to date,” Mr Kasajja said in the letter to the commission.

editorial@ug,nationmedia.com