Justice Bamugemereire stops surveys on contested Kapeeka land

NAKASEKE

Justice Catherine Bamugemereirwe has halted all land surveying and boundary opening activities on land under investigation by the Land commission of inquiry at Balatira, Mizimbo, Naluvule and Senda villages in Nakaseke District pending a conclusive investigation report.

Justice Bamugemereirwe on Wednesday during a public hearing at Balatira village in Nakaseke District directed Hajji Swaibu Mukasa, the person accused of grabbing land from more than 3,000 residents in Kapeeka Sub-county to halt all his land surveying and boundary opening activities on the land he claims he genuinely owns after buying it from the residents.
“I request Hajji Swaibu Mukasa to halt all land surveying and boundary opening activities as requested by the Hon MP Sarah Najjuma. We are going to put this in writing to ensure that whatever we do is within the law. We also ask Hajji Swaibu to come back Tomorrow with his team of Surveyors,” Justice Bamugemereirwe said amidst a loud applause from members of the public.

Earlier the Special Presidential Advisor on Political Affairs Retired Maj Roland Kakooza Mutale told the Commission at a public hearing that land matters in Buganda and many other parts of the Country have been complicated by the Judicial System which at many times sided with land grabbers and on several occasions ruled on matters which call for further inquiries.
“ Our work has been complicated by the Judiciary where Courts of Law often make rush decisions without conclusive evidence. I have incidents where I have made investigations only to find out that the land titles presented in Courts of Law were forged. But in these very cases, the land owners were arrested, convicted and jailed for four years for trespassing on their own land. Hon Justice we need to find a solution to this problem,” he said.

The commission officials were surprised when residents told them that Hajji Mukasa at one time told them to watch a helicopter which was hovering in the sky which he claimed it was carrying the big men who were surveying the land they bought.
Hajji Swaibu however, dropped his claim of being a land surveyor when Justice Bamugemereirwe asked him to clarify on the allegation that he is a land surveyor.
“My lordship I have been using this as a password but am not a land surveyor,” Hajji Mukasa said.