By Hannah Marion Namukasa
The family of the late city businessman Dr Muhammad Buwule Kasasa has rejected claims by retired Chief Justice Owiny Dollo that he successfully mediated a settlement between the Kasasa family and the family of the late Kabaka of Buganda, Sir Edward Walugembe Mutesa II, over the disputed multibillion-shilling Mutungo Hill land.
Dr Nulu Nakabonge Kasasa, a daughter of the late businessman and a beneficiary of his estate, protested statements made by Justice Dollo during his handover ceremony on Monday, when he officially retired upon attaining the mandatory retirement age of 70 and handed over office to the Acting Chief Justice and Deputy Chief Justice, Dr Flavian Zeija.
During the ceremony, Justice Dollo narrated how he cancelled official duties abroad to return to Kampala and conclude mediation efforts over the long-running Mutungo Hill land dispute. He stated that, having realised the matter had been in court for decades with no end in sight, he led mediation talks that resulted in an agreement by both families to resolve the dispute out of court.
However, in an exclusive telephone interview with this website, Dr Nakabonge dismissed Justice Dollo’s remarks, insisting that neither she nor other beneficiaries were aware of any such agreement and describing the alleged deal as fraudulent.
“I am a daughter of Dr Kasasa and a beneficiary of his estate. Together with other beneficiaries, we were never informed about the deal the Chief Justice is talking about. We even asked him to recuse himself from our father’s matter. I was shocked to hear him boasting about solving issues that had already been concluded by our father through the courts of law,” Nakabonge said.
She added that she is consulting other beneficiaries, family lawyers, and advisers on the way forward, warning that her father’s estate is under threat from fraudsters attempting to exploit impunity to grab its assets. She cited the hotel building at Mengo in Kampala, which she claims is being forcibly accessed by city businessman Moses Kalungi.
When contacted, Kalungi declined to comment, saying he was not aware of the matter.
Nakabonge further stated that during the last meeting between some family members and Justice Dollo, it was agreed that mediation would be halted and the matter returned to the courts for determination. She said this followed protests at Justice Dollo’s official residence in Nakasero over the involvement of the Mutesa family.
Documents seen by this website, authored by Kirunda & Company Advocates and K&K Advocates, indicate that a proposed 50–50 settlement agreement was scheduled to be signed on Monday, 13 October 2025. The agreement was to be witnessed by Chief Mediator Justice Dollo, representatives of the Kasasa family, and members of Kabaka Mutebi’s family led by his younger brother, Prince David Kintu Wasajja.
In a protest letter written to Justice Dollo in October 2025, members of the Kasasa family objected to his role as mediator, citing his historical ties to both the judiciary and the Buganda Kingdom. They argued that this created an appearance of bias, potentially violating the right to a fair and impartial hearing under Article 28(1) of the Constitution.
They also raised concerns about the involvement of the Attorney General, Kiryowa Kiwanuka, noting that he is a founding partner of K&K Advocates, the law firm representing the estates of both Sir Edward Mutesa II and Kabaka Mutebi.
“His participation is a clear conflict of interest and contravenes the ethical obligations outlined in the Advocates Act (Cap. 267). Furthermore, the Attorney General has no legal standing in the land ownership dispute between the two estates; his role is limited to the separate compensation suit (HCCS No. 227 of 2005) filed by the Mutesa estate against the government,” the letter states.
The Kasasa children insist that the ongoing mediation is not neutral but an extrajudicial attempt to overturn final court rulings. They argue that the process ignores their father’s express wishes and harms the estate’s beneficiaries.
They further allege that the specific legal adviser appointed under Dr Kasasa’s will to oversee matters related to the Mutungo land has been sidelined, in violation of Section 180 of the Succession Act (Cap. 162).
“Any agreement reached without the involvement of this adviser is procedurally defective and likely invalid,” the letter reads.
The family also accuses Justice Dollo of sidelining the majority of beneficiaries, many of whom oppose the proposed settlement. They claim the estate is being mismanaged, leaving some children and dependants without basic necessities such as education, shelter, and healthcare.
The family has called for the immediate suspension of the mediation process, a public inquiry into its legitimacy, mandatory inclusion of the estate’s appointed legal advisers, and an independent forensic audit to safeguard estate assets.
The developments come amid revelations by Dr Kasasa’s personal lawyer, who is also the State Minister for Lands, Dr Sam Mayanja. He recently told this website that his client died in extreme poverty and lacked access to proper medication despite owning a multibillion-shilling empire.
Dr Mayanja said that although he petitioned the President—who directed the Ministry of Finance Permanent Secretary, Ramathan Ggoobi, to release part of the Shs30 billion allegedly owed to Kasasa by the government—the release was blocked following protests by lawyers representing Kabaka Mutebi’s family.
Meanwhile, Kabaka Mutebi, his younger brother Prince David Kintu Wasajja, and their sister, Nnaalinnya Sarah Kagere—administrators of the estate of Sir Edward Mutesa II—maintain that Dr Kasasa fraudulently acquired the Mutungo Hill land. They dispute evidence that he purchased the land from Barclays Bank (now Absa) during the Kabaka’s exile.
In response, the Kasasa family insists that their father legally acquired the land from Barclays Bank after it had been transferred from Sir Edward Mutesa II to businessman Benjamin Kwemalamala, who later mortgaged it and registered it under Victoria Properties Limited.
