By Mukembo Wilfred
Tension and drama unfolded on Thursday morning at Entebbe Chief Magistrate Court, as land broker Muhammad Kamoga narrowly avoided arrest by the court bailiffs and police over fraud allegations.
Kamoga was saved at the last moment by his lawyers, led by Alex Kamukama of Magna Advocates, who swiftly whisked him away as bailiffs and police officers, armed with an arrest warrant, closed in on him. The arrest warrant also targeted Fredrick Ssengooba Kwatakunsawo, a brother of former Ugandan Vice President Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi.
After months of searching for the two individuals, the police and bailiffs had received a tip that Kamoga was due to appear before the Entebbe Chief Magistrate Court on fraud charges. They decided to use the opportunity to arrest him and take him to the Land Division of the High Court to face the judge who had issued the arrest warrant.
As soon as Kamoga realized he was surrounded and that his arrest was imminent, he took drastic action. He jumped into his lawyer’s car, which sped off at high speed, with police patrols and bailiffs hot on its heels. However, realizing the situation was becoming increasingly dire, Kamoga suddenly jumped out of the car and escaped on a boda boda (motorcycle taxi), vanishing from the scene.
According to the arrest warrant, Kamoga and Ssengooba are wanted on charges related to a fraudulent land deal involving a 16-acre plot of land in Bukaaya. The two have been on the run since 2018.
The court order reads: “To fulfill his obligations as ordered by the decree, and whereas the said Muhammad Kamoga and Fredrick Kwatakunsawo have not fulfilled their obligations as ordered by the decree of this court dated August 31, 2018.”
The order continues: “These commands you to arrest the said judgment debtors unless they appear before the court with convenient speed.”
Kamoga, who is the proprietor of Kamoga Property Consultants, was supposed to answer accusations of fraud and forgery related to the transfer of a 200-acre piece of land in Garuga, Bukaya, in Wakiso District.
Bugingo Andrew Nganda, the complainant against Kamoga, has stated that the land broker has been evading arrest since 2018. Nganda claims that Kamoga fraudulently transferred several land titles into his name, subdivided the land for sale, and even donated part of it for the construction of a mosque in Bukaya.
Kamoga also faces criminal charges, including fraud, forgery, unlawful eviction, and malicious destruction of property at Entebbe Chief Magistrate Court. The presiding magistrate has adjourned the case to May 26, 2025, for hearing.
This trial date was set after the Court of Appeal justices overturned the Criminal Division of the High Court’s ruling, which had previously stayed the criminal proceedings against Kamoga in 2024. The Court of Appeal concluded that the High Court lacked jurisdiction to stop Kamoga’s criminal prosecution, deeming the decision illegal.
The court further explained that Kamoga had no legal right to petition the High Court for an order to stay the criminal proceedings against him, which were ongoing at Entebbe Chief Magistrates Court.
The justices noted, “This is a valid reason why the trial judge ought not to have stayed the criminal proceedings. If a party commits a crime in pursuit of its civil rights, he or she can still be prosecuted. If one alleges that the transfer instrument was forged, investigation and prosecution of the culprit should continue.”
Kamoga is facing two separate criminal cases. In the first, he is charged with six counts of forgery, uttering false documents, and obtaining land registration fraudulently. It is alleged that between May 7, 2020, and February 8, 2021, at the Wakiso land offices, Kamoga forged the signature of Peter Bibangamba on land transfer forms for Busiro Block 435, Plot 8, and over 100 other plots, fraudulently claiming that Bibangamba had signed them when he had not.
Kamoga is also accused of submitting the forged transfer forms to the Wakiso land office and obtaining fraudulent registration for the land comprising Busiro Block 435, Plot 8, and the 100 other plots.
In the second case, Kamoga faces charges of unlawful eviction and malicious damage to property. He is accused of evicting people from the same land and maliciously damaging their property on February 19 and 20, 2021.
In September 2023, Kamoga was charged with multiple counts of forgery, uttering false documents, and obtaining registration by false pretenses. These charges are related to the alleged fraudulent acquisition of a 200-acre plot of land in the villages of Bukaya and Bugoba—Garuga, in Katabi Town Council, Wakiso District. The land is claimed to have belonged to Mr. Peter Bibangamba.
