The Inspector General of Government (IGG) Beti Namisango Kamya has kicked off investigation into allegation that top city tycoons connived with Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) to benefit from Shs28.8bn illegal compensation from President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s government.

The development resulted from a requested letter from Dr Sam Mayanja the State Minister for Lands in the Ministry of Lands Housing and Urban Development claiming that the land where government compensated the tycoons is public land hence they fraudulently obtained the land titles they used to secure the deal.

Mayanja revealed to the IGG that he has done preliminary investigation into the allegations and establish that the tycoons secured the land titles registered on: LRV 4143 Folio 2 Plot 14, LRV 4143 Folio 3 Plot 16, KCCA 3741, Folio 19 Plot 12A, LRV 4144 Folio 7 Plot 28-40,  LRV 4139 Folio 13, Plot 8, LRV 4130 Folio 14, Plot 41, Volume KCCA 232 Folio 21, Plot 1-4. 5-7, and 8-11 and LRV 4149 Folio 15 Plots 18-26 and 10-12 fraudulently after learning that the government was going to pass the Namanve-Luzira 132 KV transmission through that land.

Mayanja further claim that the accused tycoons include: Flavia Muntuyera, Asuman Irunga, Delmas Apartments Limited, Prestigious Apartments Limited, Aisha Mulungi, Irene Kwera and to his surprise, Muntuyera and Irunga had been listed twice which means they had benefited twice.

Mayanja also revealed that he has established that the said tycoons didn’t pay stamp duty when the land titles were made in their respective names.

In the letter to the IGG, Mayanja said that he has instructed the Commissioner Land Registration to put a caveat on the said land titles in question until the investigations are complete.

He pleaded with her to also take legal action against all the culprits for causing financial loss to the government.

However, theGrapevine established that the multibillion transaction resulted from a court suit where the tycoons sued the Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka, UETCL which was represented by K&K Advocates, a law firm where Kiwanuka is a founding partner and the Commissioner Land Registration and all parties entered a settlement to resolve the matter out of court.

It was agreed that all the plaintiffs agreed to be compensated with Shs28.852bn being full and final settlement on all the claims they had on the land and highly placed sources in the Ministry of Lands confirmed to theGrapevine that the said amount of money was paid to the beneficiaries.

However, in September 2023, Attorney General Kiwanuka wrote a legal opinion advising that the government should not compensate any land title in a wetland and his advice was directly going to the people who claim that they were affected during the construction of the electricity transmission line along Namanve-Luzira.

“Section 44 of the Land Act guides us on how we should deal with this land and provides for the control of the environmentally sensitive areas. Therefore, we are of the considered opinion that titles issued in wetlands, including those in lakes after the Land Act Cap 227, are contrary to the law and illegal,” the Attorney General stated.

theGrapevine has established that the Commission of Inquiry into land matters, Justice Catherine Bamugemereire who was the chairperson of the commission recommended that people who obtained private land titles in Namanve and Luzira wetlands including those in the lake should not be compensated by the government.

By Sengooba Alirabaki

Patricia Kahigi Asiimwe a judge at the High Court Commercial Division directed Li Yao a Chinese company operating in Uganda to destroy all the plastic properties in its stores within 14 days from 2^nd September 2024 the date the judgment was issued for infringing on Victoria Nile Plastics Limited design.

The judge further issued a permanent injunction restraining the Chinese company from reproducing, offering for sale and selling, and stocking for the purposes of offering for sale plastic basins with a design that resembles that of Victoria Nile Plastics Limited

Court awarded the Ugandan Company Shs20m in General Damages which will accumulate interest of 18% annually from the date the judgment was delivered.

According to the testimony of Simon Musoke the proprietor of the Ugandan company, he told court that in 2018, he registered the industrial design of his company at Uganda Registration Service Bureau (URSB) and secured a certificate which was under registration number No: UG/D/2018/000028.

He even published it in the Uganda gazette.

He testified to the court that their approved industrial design included the shape of the basin, 3 circular rings underneath the base of the basin with multiple lines running from the centre ring to the edge of the basin.

It also has multiple horizontal lines running along the sides of the basin and rectangular shaped handlers which is the same design which the Chinese company put on its products that are currently on the market and were brought to court as evidence.

According to court records, the Chinese company did not defend itself which compelled the judge to determine the matter based on evidence from one side.

The judge confirmed that there was overwhelming evidence to prove that the Chinese infringed on the Ugandan company’s copyright which should be punishable in law.

The judge cited evidence collected from the public from people who confirmed that they receive the said products from the Chinese company.

By Grapevine Reporter

The family of the first black Inspector General of Police(IGP) Lt Col Wilson Erinayo Oryema has pleaded with Annet Anita Among the Speaker of Parliament to use the ongoing parliamentary sitting in Northern Uganda to intervene and save the Estate of the deceased which is being fraudulently grabbed.

Led by Nancy Oryema, the granddaughter to the deceased, the fallen IGP’s family said that they have filed several complaints to police against the land grabbers including Ukrainian investor Maxim Shevchuk but nothing is being done.

“We petitioned the Office of the current IGP Abas Byakagaba for help because the tractors which were sent by Shevchuk to destroy our food destroyed the house we built on the land and almost demolished his grave,” Nancy said.

DJ Ochii the Assistant Resident District Commissioner Nwoya district where Lt Col Oryema was buried confirmed to theGrapevine that the family has filed a complaint with police against Shevchuk and he was summoned to record a statement over the allegations against him.

He explained that Shevchuk is accused of destroying with impunity the crops of the complainants using tractors which the complainants claim were from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries.

He confirmed that the district security committee sat at Purongo, Kilak County where the contested land is located to verify and examine the crops destroyed and damage caused.

However, the family claims that the Ukrainian investor is being supported by top government officials from Acholi who have interest in the land and it is the reason why he is using armed men in UPDF uniform and Uganda police to torture them with impunity.

The family also claims that local leaders told them that they will not win against the investor because he is supported by government who want him to use their land to grow food which is going to be taken to his home country to feed the troubled people who have be ravaged by the war with Russia.

The family insists that some top government leaders from Acholi are fronting a one Beatrice Oryema who is not known by the family to harass them and fuel their illegal eviction.

Nancy claims that her workers on the farm are receiving threatening messages of being kidnapped or killed and they have filed a number of complaints to police but they haven’t yet received any help.

She wants the Speaker to force police leadership to explain who authorized the deployment of Cp Onagi and PC Onenchan on their land because they are commanding the force that the investor is using to destroy their crops and properties.

theGrapevine has established that the grave of the former IGP is being protected by tourists police commandos deployed by former IGP Gen Edward Kale Kayihura.

Nancy narrated how they exchange bullets with the investor’s armed men who wanted to exhume the remains of their grandfather.

Nancy said that over 50 acres of soya beans, g-nuts and maize were destroyed by the investor.

She adds that if it was not for the double standards of the leaders in the area, they would have got justice because they have everything including documents which were left behind by their grandfather.

She re-counts how police have been arresting her workers on the farm but have failed to arrest Beatrice, the investor and their henchmen who are encroaching on their land comprising LRV 778, Folio 23 land at Purongo, Kilak County, Acholi, currently Nwoya district.

She pleaded with the speaker that since she met Gen Salim Saleh the head of Operation Wealth Creation this week, she should also visit their farmland to examine who lost their crops which were given to them by Gen Saleh to fight poverty in Acholi.

Nancy added that the Ukranian investor has also destroyed the farms of other investors from the United Kingdom and their complaints are not being attended to by police.

She further explains that other properties of her grandfather in other parts of the country including those in Kampala city, Gulu city have been also grabbed by big wings from Acholi who are using private guards from PSG private security in Gulu to deny them access to their properties.

Land is a security issue in Acholi and top government officials especially army generals, judges, ministers have been abusing their powers and fraudulently evicting locals from the land.

By Sengooba Alirabaki