Police name top Kampala tycoons in fake titles for Entebbe land
Gertrude Nakiyemba (L) displays her father Daudi Kasimbazi’s original title on the disputed land. With her is Princess Nalinya Bwanga, Kasimbazi’s grand daughter. Photo by Martin Ssebuyira
What you need to know:
Police officials say police investigations established that the land titles of the tycoons did not exist in the lands registry at Entebbe.
Wakiso- Police have released a report showing former cabinet minister Urban Tibamanya and 33 city tycoons as allegedly holding forged titles for prime land in Entebbe.
Kampala Metropolitan Police Commander Andrew Felix Kaweesi read out the report where he named city tycoon Gordon Wavamuno, Dr George William Samula, KPC Limited, Aga Ssekalala, James Musinguzi Garuga, Jack Wavamuno, Primrose Constance Muwanga, Keith Kalyejila and Godfrey Kitakule, among others, as having acquired titles on an already titled land.
The land in question is in Tende village, Katabi Sub-county in Wakiso District and was titled in 1917.
“Mr Gordon Wavamuno approached the Inspector General of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura, telling him that a group of unknown people had camped at his land with intentions to grab it. The IGP ordered me to personally come and investigate and take action on the grabbers,” Mr Kaweesi said during a meeting at the disputed piece of land on Tuesday evening.
He said that, however, upon reaching the site, people who had occupied the land showed him a land title they obtained in 1917 under the name of Daudi Kasimbazi who they said was their grandfather.
“We got a government surveyor to open boundaries, ascertain the rightful owner on cadastral maps and print before giving the way forward,” Kaweesi said.
Mr Kaweesi said he had earlier agreed with the aggrieved tenants and Kasimbazi’s grandchildren to get private surveyors to work with the government surveyor in opening up the land boundaries to ascertain the rightful owner, but they declined.
He said the government surveyor released a report showing that the land is one square mile divided into two blocks and belongs to Daudi Kasimbazi.
However Mr Gordon Wavamunno denied ‘grabbing’ any land. He insisted he is the rightful owner of the plot attributed to him and threatened to sue Kaweesi for implicating him.
“First, I have court papers that show that I am the owner of that land. For that matter, I am taking Kaweesi to court for referring to me as a land grabber,” Mr Wavamunno charged.
Mr Tibamanya too denied owning a piece of land in the said area saying some people could be trying to use his name. “I swear to you, I don’t own or even have an idea on land in that place,” he said. The Sunday Monitor could not reach all the people implicated for their comment as their mobile phones were either switched off or their phone contacts could not be readily obtained.
Kaweesi said police will give a one-month deadline to everyone who still claims he has a genuine title to the land to report to police and make statements for further investigations or else Kasimbazi’s grandchildren will be allowed to occupy their land without any interference.
Princess Nalinya Bwanga bwa Mirembe said her grandmother Gertrude Nakiyemba, the only living daughter of the late Daudi Kasimbazi, had been evicted from the land by the tycoons who frustrated her efforts to get justice.
She said they tried to seek justice in court but the tycoons frustrated them making them decide to camp at the land until police intervened.
Additional reporting by Frederic Musisi
