By Hannah Marion Namukasa
The dispute over ownership of 945.15 acres of prime land at Nakigalala and Kansiri Estates in Wakiso District has taken a new twist following the emergence of documents that the family of the late Kabaka of Buganda, Daudi Chwa, says challenge the authenticity of the land title held by M/s Muljibhai Madhvani and Company Limited.
The documents, presented to Attorney General Sam Mayanja, reportedly show that the land was leased by Kabaka Daudi Chwa to Uganda Rubber and Coffee Estates Limited for 82 years, rather than to Madhvani Group and Company Limited.
According to the documents, the lease, executed in 1930, expired in 2012, after which the land was supposed to revert to the lessor, the estate of Kabaka Daudi Chwa.
The family alleges that in 1960, Madhvani Group Limited, in collusion with officials in the Ministry of Lands, caused a freehold title to be created over land that was already subject to a lease held by Uganda Rubber and Coffee Estates Limited.
The family contends that the move deprived beneficiaries of the estate of the late Kabaka Chwa of their interest in the land.
Evidence presented to the Attorney General allegedly indicates that Madhvani Group Limited had never held the land at Nakigalala, with the family saying some of the documents were obtained from the United Kingdom.
In a petition dated September 18, 2026, the family asked the Attorney General to exercise caution and refrain from facilitating payment for the land before its ownership at Nakigalala and Kansiri is verified.
Through their lawyers, TFB Advocates and Legal Consultants, the family said it had obtained documents that had not previously been presented before court.
Among the documents cited are a title deed for FRV 4 Folio 2, registered on August 9, 1932, in the names of Uganda Rubber and Coffee Estates Limited of Nsimbe Estates, Mawokota, Uganda.
The family also cited a lease agreement dated December 12, 1930, between Kabaka Daudi Chwa of Mengo, acting from his private mailo under PC 9995 and FC 10008 at Nakigalala and Kansiri, as lessor, and Uganda Rubber and Coffee Estates Limited as lessee.
The lease was reportedly for 82 years at a consideration of Shs1,083,516.
Other documents include an application dated August 2, 1932, by Uganda Rubber and Coffee Estates Limited to bring the 945.15 acres at Nakigalala and Kansiri under the Registration of Titles Ordinance of 1908, as well as a letter dated September 24, 1992, from the Departed Asians Property Custodian Board to the Chief Registrar of Titles.
According to the petition, in 1993 the Departed Asians Property Custodian Board wrote to the Chief Registrar of Titles at the Ministry of Lands stating that the registered proprietor of land under FRV 4 Folio 2 was Uganda Rubber and Coffee Estates Limited and not M/s Muljibhai Madhvani and Company Limited.
The petition cites a letter signed by the then Minister of State for Finance, which stated that a repossession certificate dated March 6, 1991, concerning 945.15 acres under FRV 4 Folio 2 at Nakigalala Tea Estates and issued in the names of M/s Muljibhai Madhvani and Company Limited was not effective.
The family has also asked the Inspectorate of Government to investigate the circumstances under which a freehold title was allegedly superimposed on an existing lease title.
According to the complaint, the family is concerned that the government intends to purchase the disputed land from Madhvani while ownership is still being contested in court.
The family alleges that Madhvani and Company Limited is seeking to sell the land at Nakigalala and Kansiri Estates to the government through the Ministry of Science, Technology and Information despite the ongoing court proceedings over ownership.
The family, however, said it does not oppose government development projects on the land, but objects to any payment being made to Madhvani before ownership is resolved.
“Our clients do not object to the implementation of any government project,” the petition states, adding that they oppose payment to Madhvani because its ownership is being challenged in court.
Documents cited in the petition indicate that Madhvani and Company Limited is a defendant in a case filed by the family of the late Muwanga Omuwesi over ownership of more than 306 acres at Nakigalala.
The company is also a complainant against administrators of the estate of the late Muwanga Omuwesi and a party in Civil Suit No. 0158 of 2026 filed by administrators of the estate of the late Daudi Chwa. The cases are pending before the High Court in Entebbe.
The petition argues that it would be improper for the Attorney General to proceed with the transaction while the ownership dispute remains before court.
The family further argues that the Attorney General has a duty to protect government interests by ensuring that public funds are not committed to land whose ownership is under judicial challenge.
Madhvani Group Limited is also facing court proceedings over allegations that it grabbed the land and fraudulently changed its tenure from mailo to freehold, allegedly to deprive the family of the late Buganda chief of its interest.
The company is jointly accused with its subsidiary, Kakira Sugar Works Limited, and the Commissioner for Land Registration in a case that has been before court for more than a decade, dating back to 2013.
In 2022, the Land Division of the High Court issued a temporary order restraining agents, workers and employees of Madhvani Group Limited from claiming, selling, alienating or mortgaging the disputed land at Nakigalala, Kajjansi, in Wakiso District until determination of the case.
