By Mukembo Wilfred
The Police are investigating circumstances under which a 70 year old man allegedly hired a grader and destroyed crops on a six acre land at Nanga Village, Kimenyedde Sub County in Mukono District.
Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Police Spokesperson, Luke Oweyesire yesterday said that the force is investigating case files against Samuel Mukasa who is accused of criminal trespass and malicious damage to property.
“We are handling a number of case files regarding the complaint over ownership of the disputed land. But I cannot give you details now because we are still gathering information” Oweyesigire said in a telephone interview yesterday.
It is alleged that on February 17, 2024, Mr Samuel Mukasa a relative to the family of the late George William Binoonya Lubwama colluded with a group of brokers and machete welding men descended on the kibanja and illegally felled down all commercial trees.
The group led by Mukasa who claims to own the disputed land is also alleged to have destroyed a plantation of coffee mixed with banana trees, a maize plantation and others amid protests which prompted the family to report to the police.
Disan Kigozi, the family heir, has since reported a case of malicious damage to property and criminal trespass against Mukasa and others at Naggalama Police Station.
“I have been living on that Kibanja and constructed a house but our uncle (Mukasa) is using high profile people in authority. We have seen him bringing land brokers and potential buyers which is against our will,” Kigozi said.
He said that the family is surprised and disturbed by the actions of Mukasa and his agents purporting to own our land, destroying our crops despite our pleas and appeals for help.
According to Kigozi, a group of people working with Mr Mukasa have started curbing plots on the said disputed land despite warnings and directives from the RDC as well as reports to the Police.
The destruction was done in defiance of the February 27, 2024 directive in which Mukono Resident District Commissioner Nabitaka Ndisaba the DPC of Naggalama Police Station to investigate alleged criminal acts in regard to the disputed kibanja to bring the culprits to book.
The RDC’s directive also required the police to carry out the mediation between the two worrying parties with a view of finding a lasting solution.
“I proposed the C.I Mukono Hajji Katende Ali, the area chairperson and your office to mediate the two parties. To my dismay, it was only one party that sat and made a report of its own that it has sub-divided the kibanja to the different parties, something which is null and void. All the activities on the contested land (Kibanja) should be halted till the matter is amicably solved,” reads the RDC letter dated February 27 this year.
Alex Semakula, a relative to the family said that the land in dispute was bequeathed to Disan Kigozi and his siblings after the death of their father George William Binonya.
He said that while colluding with Kasujja Property Agents, Mukasa brought a grader and destroyed a coffee plantation mixed with banana plantation as well as maize plantation.
“This is an important portion for the family because it comprises the graveyard but to our surprise, Mukasa should have been the one guiding the children but instead he is busy working to destroy and sell everything even when he has no authority” he added.
He said that Mukasa was given a portion as a brother and he sold his part Karoli Mukiibi, another resident of Nanga Village said that the administrators of the estate of late GW were shown the boundaries of the land by Mr Mukasa, the same person who is now selling the land.
“By leading the children of his late brother through the boundaries of the entire land, we thought it was a good gesture but we are surprised to learn that the same person embarked on grabbing the same land. He started with cutting down all the trees without the consent of the children”Mukiibi said.
According to Mukiibi, the accused Mukasa started grumbling with the children of his late brother immediately they refused to hide his request to curve out plots and sell part of the disputed land.
