Police bosses dragged to court over Namanve land

Senior Police officers have been sued for allegedly interfering with court orders in a land dispute involving city businessman Godfrey Kirumira and a tenant in Namanve Industrial Park.

The officers sued before Mukono High Court include Mr Anatoli Katungwesi, the Kampala East Regional Police Commander, and Mr Erasmus Twaruhukwa, an Assistant Inspector General of Police, who also doubles as the police legal adviser.

In his sworn-in affidavit, Mr Kirumira contends that Justice David Batema, on February 15, visited the contested land and established that he was in the physical possession of the land.

The judge went on to issue an interim order in which he, among others, stopped other people from blocking the businessman, his employees and agents from accessing the land.

He adds that on February 2, the sued police officers jointly and severally stopped him, his employees and agents from accessing the disputed land and removed a motor vehicle, despite the court order.

Mr Kirumira now wants court to compel the police officers to pay him Shs500m in compensation and also be committed to civil prison for disobedience of court orders.

However, Senior State Attorney Mark Muwonge, on March 3, said the police got a surveyor to open boundaries of the land to establish which plot the judge was referring to in the court order.

Background
The businessman has been in a protracted legal battle with Amirali Karmali, Mukwano’s brother, over a 46-acre piece of land in Namanve Industrial Park.

Mr Kirumira claims he is the registered proprietor of the kibanja (land)   but government and a prominent local investor say Mr Kirumira acquired it illegally.

According to court documents, it is alleged that Mr Kirumira transferred Plot 393 on Block 113 in Namanve Industrial Park into his name.

The transfer of the said land by Mr Kirumira was discovered by Prof Karmali Minaz and government when Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) was interested in buying part of the land and lease it to Chinese investors for industrial development.

But in his defence, Mr Kirumira contends he bought the land in question from Yokana Galikwoleka Mukasa in October 2017.

On the other hand, Mr Karmali says he bought the land in November 2010.
He adds that there is no history of ownership of kibanja, payment of busuulu (tax) tickets, boundary and signature from LCs, prompting him to conclude that the transactions were tainted with fraud and forgery.

Namanve Industrial Park, which has more than 100 factories and industries, sits on 2, 209 acres of land.