President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s former Press Secretary Joseph Tamale Mirundi has revealed shocking secrets how embattled Sheikh Ramathan Shaban Mubajje the Mufti of Uganda together with Kampala International University proprietor Al-Hajj Hassan Basajjabalaba defrauded his boss of Shs3.5bn using Prince Kassim Nakibinge Kakungulu the titular Muslim leader.

Mirundi narrated that while still working closely to his boss, he trusted him a lot and at many times he allowed him to attend sensitive meetings including those where the president met religious and cultural leaders.

He established that they were just using their positions to look for money.

He disclosed that one day, he attended a meeting with former State House controller Lucy Nakyobe chaired by President Museveni himself and other members in attendance was Mubajje and Basajjabalaba.

He said that in the meeting, a seemingly panicky Mubajje told Museveni that bailiffs were on his neck and they wanted to embarrass him by arresting him over a huge debt.

He explained to the president that he together with Basajjabalaba who was then the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) chairperson used Muslim money to campaign for him in 2011 and it is the reason why anti Museveni Muslim leaders are fighting him.

Mirundi alleges that Mubajje told Museveni that prince Nakibinge is leading the people fighting him because he was supporting the opposition.

“I used my journalistic senses and established that Mubajje was lying to Museveni but I kept quiet and Museveni ordered Nakyobe to give Mubajje Shs3.5bn and they left State House with Basajjabalaba celebrating. I’m not surprised to see the man in the same situation. I know he again wants money from Museveni,” Mirundi said.

He was supported by Kira Municipality legislator Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda who revealed that he was the first journalist while practicing with Daily Monitor newspaper to write stories exposing Mubajje’s fraudulent dealings.

He said that when Mubajje was appointed the Mufti, as a Tabliq, he was very happy and was among the young Muslims who welcomed him at Old Kampala mosque.

In his open statement, Mubajje said that he was going to be a Muslim leader for only two years because he is a tabliq and he wanted to go back to the university to teach.

However, he started making friends with known city fraudsters and started hunting for Muslim properties to sell. One of them was the William Street mosque which was donated to Muslims by an Indian who was among the many expelled by president Idi Amin.

Ssemujju narrated that the Indian man’s family was living in Canada and there was a known Indian mafia in Kampala who turned up and claimed to have secured the powers of attorney to reclaim the three buildings including William Street mosque which was donated to Muslims in Uganda.

He said that the Indian’s son in Canada swore an affidavit disowning the Indian mafia in Kampala insisting that his father donated the buildings to Muslims and he even travelled from Canada to Kampala to give more evidence.

He said that unfortunately, Mubajje and lawyers entered a deal and shared the building, the Indian mafia took one building, Mubajje on behalf of the Muslim took William Street mosque and they agreed to sell the third building and share the money.

“I have evidence, I was a very serious journalist, I am telling you, when the money came, they wanted to deposit it to the bank account but Mubajje openly told them that they should give him his share in cash because he wanted to pay his people at the Old Kampala mosque. They counted the money and gave it to Mubajje, I swear Mubajje pocketed the money in his Muslim sheikhs attire and jumped into his car. The late Sheikh Muzatta Batte was talking about these things, he was not lying,” Ssemujju said.

He however explained that Mubajje is not the first Muslim leader to sell Muslim properties. Many Muslim leaders who have been serving at the Muslim headquarters have sold Muslim properties but Mubajje has sold the majority of these properties and he still wants to sell all of them.

He warned Muslims have peace in their hearts that they own nothing in this country.

On the issue of Muslim coming out to fight for their properties physically, Ssemujju said that many of the radical Muslims were killed, others imprisoned on terrorism charges and the remaining few fear for their lives; and it is the reason they left Mubajje and his friends to steal their properties but Allah will pay them badly.

theGrapevine made several phone calls to Mubajje for a comment but he was making out calls busy.

This comes days after Court of Appeal single Justice Christopher Gashirabake dismissed an application by UMSC lawyers to stay the execution of auctioning Muslim properties as ordered by the Commercial Division of the High Court over Shs19bn debt.

Among the properties listed to be auctioned include; Land in Leasehold Register Volume KCCA 149 Folio 16 land at Kampala City William Street which houses tabliq mosque.

Others are Land are; Lease Register Volume 2771 Folio 2, Old Kampala Plot 23-25 which houses the national Muslim mosque and the Muslim headquarters; Kyadondo Block 195 plot 5463 Land at Kyanja Kampala City; one square miles of land at Bukwe Hoima district, one acre of land located at Lumbas, Jinja city; plot of land at Mbale city; shares in Uganda Rancheers Ltd & Commercial Holdings Ltd; Subsidiaries to Uganda Moslem Supreme Council that own 2 square miles land at Migyera-Buluri; plot of land at Entebbe Municipality opposite Victoria Mall.

City businessman Justus Kyabahwa secured a court order after defeating Mubajje in Court.

There are Muslim personalities who are planning to institute private criminal charges against Mubajje and Sheikh Ramathan Mugalu the former UMSC Secretary General over the accusations of fraudulently selling Muslim properties.

By Sengooba Alirabaki

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s State Minister for Lands who is also the founding partner of Kampala’s famous law firm the Kampala Associated Advocates(KAA) Dr. Sam Mayanja has exposed King Ronald Muwenda Mutebi’s family wealth secrets.

Mayanja who boasts as one of the best researchers in the country revealed that when Sir Edward Walugembe Muteesa, King Ronnie’s father ran into exile in United Kingdom after the attack on his Mengo palace by the military commanded by former president Idi Amin on the orders of former Prime Minister Dr. Milton Opeto Obote, his friends found ways of looking for his wealth back home which could be sold to get money to facilitate his stay in exile.

He claims that one of Muteesa’s friends Lord Boyd led the investigations to establish his friend’s properties back home and found out that he was owned a number of private properties which included; Mutungo Hill land measuring over 1 square miles, land at Masaka where he built his Nkoni palace which was badly damaged by Obote’s troops during the 1966 Buganda crisis and was worth ten thousand pounds by 1987, Mutesa also owned land in Bamunanika where he built his Bamunanika palace measuring 2 square miles and by then was worth fifty thousand pounds.

He also owned Muzizi tea estates measuring about 12 square miles, Busengwe land on the shores of Lake Victoria where he built his Busengwe palace facing Tanzania, land in Ggomba county measuring 5 square miles, land in Singo county measuring 4 square mailos, land in Kyagwe county measuring 10 square mailos, land in Bugerere county measuring 5 square miles, land in Buwekula county measuring 2 square miles, land in Kyadondo county measuring half a square mailo.

Mayanja, a university law don insists that president Obote’s government never confiscated Mutesa’s private properties as some members of the Buganda Royal family claim.

He added that in 1968, the defunct Taifu Empya newspaper published an exclusive story revealing that Muteesa had sold his Mutungo Hill land through his sister Princess Mpologoma.

He further alleges that the next day, another defunct newspaper The People which was owned by Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) political party also published a detailed story on 21^st December 1968 detailing how Muteesa sealed a deal to sell his Mutungo land near Port Bell port while he was in exile.

The story revealed that Muteesa sold the said land to Lake View properties Limited but he didn’t temper with Official mailo land. He only sold his private properties to make ends meet in exile.

He alleges that the remaining properties were supposed to be shared among Mutesa’s 29 children according to his will which he made in exile.

Mayanja claims that Lake View Properties Directors mortgaged the said Mutungo Hill land to the bank and controversial city businessman who is also a celebrated retired medical doctor Muhammad Buwule Kasasa bought it and secured all the necessary documents.

He adds that recently, government picked interest in the land and wanted to buy it from Kasasa at Shs23bn but the administrators of Sir Edward Muteesa’s Estate protested the deal and challenged it in the court claiming that Kasasa fraudulently obtained their father’s land.

Mayanja says that he is very annoyed at Muteesa’s family members, especially King Ronnie, for making Dr. Kasasa suffer when they know that their father sold the land legally.

He reveals that currently, 95-years-old Dr. Kasasa is very sick at his Mengo home and cannot speak properly but the properties he thought he would sell to get money to treat him in his old age is being held by greedy members of the royal family.

who want some and very soon is likely going to die because doctors establish that he is suffering from a deadly cancer disease.

“Dr. Kasasa’s Personal Assistant told me on phone that they were advised by local doctors to fly him to India for further management of his sickness and they have already secured all the necessary documents to travel but they don’t have money,” the minister says.

Mayanja says that Dr. Kasasa’s Assistant pleaded with him to help the old man to at least secure the Shs6bn which Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) deposited to the judiciary bank accounts to help him.

UNRA deposited the money on the judiciary bank account after both Kasasa and Muteesa’s family claimed ownership of the land which is partly going to be used to construct the famous Kampala-Jinja Expressway.

Upon depositing the money on the judiciary bank, Court allowed UNRA to proceed with the road works as Muteesa and Dr. Kasasa settle their fight in courts of law.

“Very soon, Dr. Kasasa is going to die because at his age, when one is told that they have cancer, it is very difficult to survive. But I am warning Ronald Muwenda Mutebi and his family members that if that man dies in that situation, surely you will not survive his curse, I am telling you as a Muganda. Muteesa family members will suffer,” a tearful Mayanja told theGrapevine.

He further revealed that King Ronnie in 2015 appointed Owekitiibwa Martin Kasekende, Prince David Kintu Wasajja, Omukungu Kabanda, Omukungu Swaib Musoke, Omulangira Joel Katerega, Omutaka Pasco Kibwondwe, Dr. Eve Kasirye, Owekitiibwa Robert Waggwa Nsibirwa, Owekitiibwa Mohamood Toban, Owekitiibwa John Katende, Omukungu Levi Zimbe, Owekitiibwa David Kiwalabye Male to manage the kingdom land which is Official mailo through Buganda Land Board Limited.

However, theGrapevine established that there were changes made on the list of people appointed by Kabaka to lead the management of the Kingdom land.

We also learnt that the Lands Division of the High Court judge Flavia Nassuna has allowed Dr. Kasasa to appeal against her ruling over the release of the Shs6bn compensation from UNRA to the Court of Appeal.

But, King Ronnie’s family lawyers of K&K Advocates led by Usaama Sebuufu are already protesting the application.

By Hadija Namagembe

Yusuf Nsibambi, the Mawokota South legislator who also doubles as the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Chief Whip in parliament has threatened to resign his two political positions if Kira Municipality Member of Parliament Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda tables evidence supporting his allegations that he has been having secret dealings with President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s government.

Ssemujju claimed that Nsibambi shocked him when he discovered that the man he has been respecting for a long time as a university law don and the former chairperson of Kampala District Land Board is a mafia.

He alleged that he has evidence showing that when parliamentary committees made majority and minority reports, Nsibambi always signed on both reports.

He disclosed that Nsibambi always signed the majority report to show President Museveni that he supports him but also signed the minority report to show that he is supporting the opposition in parliament.

He added that from then on, he lost trust in Nsibambi and it was the reason why he was not shocked when he decided to attend parliament plenary when the Leader of Opposition in parliament Mathias Mpuuga Nsamba directed them not to attend until president Museveni’s government gives parliament a detailed report on the status of the opposition supporters who are missing.

However, Nsibambi put Ssemujju on notice to provide proof to support his allegations, promising to resign if he tables the evidence.

He accused Ssemujju of being one of the new breed of politicians who have mastered the art of playing malice and blackmail politics.

He said that Ssemujju is using the opposition parliament plenary boycott to carry out his revenge on him after he was dismissed from the office of FDC Chief Whip in parliament.

He advised opposition leadership in parliament to avoid using the boycott to fight personal battles like Ssemujju is doing because they are dealing with President Museveni who spends over 18 hours a day only thinking about politics.

By Hadijja Namagembe