Land probe team, witness clash over Mengo SS land

KAMPALA. Drama ensued yesterday as the land inquiry officials and a witness disagreed over ownership of a 1.4 acre prime piece of land in Nakulabye, Rubaga Division.
The land is under contention between the Registered Mengo Senior School Old Boys Club and a family.
Mengo Senior School head teacher, who is also a member of the club, Mr John Fred Kazibwe is accused of fronting different association names purporting to be under the foundation of Mengo SS to grab the land on Block 10 plot 50 at Senkatuuka Zone, Balintuma Road.

The names include the Registered Trustees of Mengo Old Students’ Association, The Registered Trustees of Mengo Old Boys’ Club- Kampala and the Registered Trustees of Mengo Central Old Boys’s Club of Kampala.
While testifying before the probe team, Mr Erisa Jjemba, a witness, said Mengo SS Old Boys club wrongfully and fraudulently got registered on the land because they held transactions of transfer which were done after death of the original owner, Senti Serwano.

Mr Jjemba is one of the witnesses in a complaint in which Dr Ernest Kimbugwe, one of the administrators of the estate, states that neither Mengo Senior School nor the associations ever accessed or occupied the land until early this year when the entire family was evicted.
According to Mr Jjemba, the agreement presented by Mengo SS Club, shows Obadia Kirigwajjo as the buyer for kibanja interests and not land as claimed by the school and that the same transaction was never concluded as per the 1927 agreement.

“The transfer was fraudulently done in 1959 because the owner died in 1951 without completing the transaction with Kirigwajjo. First, Kirigwajjo was supposed to pay Shs750 but he deposited Shs150 and no further evidence presented to show the payment of the balance,” testified Mr Jjemba, adding that at the time of the agreement in 1927, Mengo SS Old Boys Club was not in existence.

Issue

Mr Jjemba, an adopted child, said the club was established in 1934 but got registered on title in 1957 after death of both Serwano and Kirigwajjo. But the Justice Catherine Bamugemereire-led Commission dismissed his evidence citing lack of proof and not being a proper member of Serwano’s family. Mr Jjemba accused the commission deputy lead counsel, Mr John Bosco Suuza, of not giving him enough time to explain.“You are twisted on alleged truth, you need to be debunked,” said Justice Bamugemereire, prompting Mr Jjemba to say he was answering as per the questions asked.

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