Mutungo Hill Land: How Dr. Kasasa Acquired the Juice Piece against Futile Kabaka and His Siblings` Pursuit

There has been a lot of controversy and hullabaloo regarding how city businesssman, Dr Muhammad Buwule Kasasa acquired the prime hilly Mutungo land. Unless the Kabaka of Buganda, His Majesty Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II decides to appeal, the court has for now resolved the controversy in favor of Dr Kasasa, The Investigator reports

The Royal family had conceded losing the land to Dr Kasasa but was again asking for compensation from government over the same land. A lot has been said and stated regarding the manner in which Dr. Kasasa obtained the land and, how the original owner, departed Buganda King, Edward Fredrick Luwangula MuteesaII, had lost the same.

Muteesa had acquired the land to put up residential flats but his bloody overthrow by Dr. Apollo Milton Obote barred him from living such a nicer dream. Now that the matter stands resolved following the court of appeal judgement, we are going to look back at history, to put the matter of ownership of this land in it’s context.Records have it that after his overthrow by Dr Obote, and his forced exile in Britain, Kabaka Muteesa found himself in dire straits and thus, unable to keep up with life in the London exile.

For that matter, it is stated, he secretly contacted his sister, Nnaalinnya Victoria Mpologoma, to ask her to find a buyer for his 640 acres of land on Mutungo Hill in order to realize funds for his upkeep out there. Mpologoma is understood to have secretly acquired the powers of attorney from Muteesa, to act as his agent during the sealing of the transaction.

Finally, it is stated, Mpologoma got four powerful individuals willing and ready to purchase Muteesa’s land. These were Benedicto Kiwanuka, the slain formerly Chief Justice and, DP founder, slain formerly Central Bank Governor, Joseph Mubiru. Others were the deceased lawyer, Lawrence Sebalu and, Mary Kabenge.

Out of fear of being detected by Obote who had overthrown Muteesa and, naturally, wanted him to suffer in exile, it would seem, the four would purchase the land through a company known as Lake View. The proceeds of the sale are said to have been secretly moved out of the country to Kenya, where Muteesa’s best friend, the day’s Attorney General, Njojo, is stated to have moved the same to Muteesa.

But another version states the four people had bought the land not directly from Mpologoma but from a prominent businessman in Masaka known as Kintu Kwemalamala. Whatever the case, Kasasa would years later purchase the land directly from the Benedicto Kiwanuka group. This was in 1975 after Muteesa had even passed on in 1969.

Many years later, the family of the deceased King Muteesa II would come up to claim the land now fully registered in the names of Dr Kasasa. Using the law firm of Kibeedi and Company Advocates, the Royal family had initially sued Dr Kasasa directly as an individual, and the Attorney General, plus the Chief Registrar of Lands.

After discovering the case to be a nullity as against Dr Kasasa, it seems, the Royal family led by Muteesa’s young son, Prince David Wasajja now changed and sued the attorney general this time asking for compensation over loss of land to Kasasa.

Muteesa’s children lost the case in the High Court and insisted on appealing, but which was perfectly their right to do so, anyway. The Court of Appeal has since ruled to confirm Dr Kasasa as the genuine owner of the land which had been up to that point in time, under contestation.

Troublesome evidence

Earlier before, a city lawyer who was serving as the Chief Registrar of Lands during the time this transaction was being negotiated, signed and sealed, was known as Kiingi. He had stepped up to confirm how Muteesa himself had sold the land albeit through Mpologoma. Kiingi testified how he had himself worked on Mpologoma’s instructions to occassion a transfer from the names of his brother to that of the new owners in Lake View.

Kiingi went as far as issuing and paying for a full page advert, to reject what the family of the departed king were trying to put across through the courts of law, in a bid to claim the land back or to be paid compensation for the same. A fearless old Muganda man, Kiingi has since passed on, but he had, by then, punched a lot of holes in the case forwarded by the Royal Family. But why did the Royal Family choose to ignore this glaring evidence against them? Watch this space for more about this important chapter…

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Stephen Kasozi Muwambi: Mr. Stephen Kasozi Muwambi is a seasoned crime investigative writer, majoring in judicial-based stories. His two decades’ experience as a senior investigative journalist has made him one of the best to reckon on in Uganda. He can also be reached via [email protected]