The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Justice Catherine Bamugemereire Land Commission has grilled retired Uganda People’s Defense Forces Lieutenant, Paul Bukenya over the botched Wakiso land deal. Bukenya’s uncle and business partner retired Colonel Engineer Dick Lutaaya, a former UPDF Air force officer failed to show up before the Commission after waiting for nearly two days.
The two former soldiers are accused of selling land on Block 535 – 540 Plot 326 at Buwaya in Wakiso district, near Entebbe International Airport with encumbrances to Uganda Free Zone Authority-UFZA at more than shillings 7 Billion. Appearing before the 7 member Land Commission on Tuesday, Bukenya said he bought the land measuring 186 hectares in 2008 from a widow he identified as Imelda Nambwere and her two daughters at shillings 102 million.
However, evidence before the Commission shows that Bukenya fronted the widow and her children as administrators over Geoffrey Galiwango Herbert’s estate in order to gain access from the Administrator General after his death in the 1950s. Galiwango inherited the land from his father Alexander Gabunga Ndiwalana, a former member of Kabaka’s Marine regiment who received the land from the Kabaka of Buganda.
Documents show that Ndiwalana shared the land among four of his children including Galiwango who never had any heir to take over his estate. The documents also indicate that Galiwango was given land in a different location in Kyazi far off from Busiiro block 535 – 540 Buwaya.
According to the evidence, upon learning that Galiwango had no heir, Bukenya masterminded a plot to forge documents including minutes of family meetings to aid the widow and her daughters to secure the land from the Administrator General who was administering the title.
In one of the minutes, Bukenya introduced himself as the grandson of Alexander Ndiwalana Gabunga despite originating from a different clan. He alleged that the widow is the bonafide successor of the Estate of Geoffrey Galiwango.
After convincing the Administrator General with the forged documents, the administration of the land was granted to Imelda Nambwere. She immediately transferred it to Engineer Dick Lutaaya and Pual Bukenya from Wakiso land zonal office as explained by the Commission chairperson, Lady Justice Catherine Bamugemereire.
Justice Bamugemereire said the widow was neither related to Gabunga nor his son Geoffrey Galiwango, both of whom lost interests in the land through repeated transfers to George Nyanga and Samuel Kironde, the father of Augustine Bukenya Muwuluzi and his siblings.
It was Augustine Bukenya Muwuluzi and his siblings who dragged the two retired UPDF officers to the Land Commission for trying to sell their land to Uganda Free Zone Authority (UFZA) for the establishment of a duty free export industrial park near Entebbe International Airport.
The State Minister for Finance in charge of Investment and Privatization, Evelyn Anite joined the complainant asking the Land Commission to probe and recover taxpayers’ money lost in the transaction. Appearing before the Commission on Tuesday, Bukenya said they won’t refund any coin from the money. He said Land Ministry officials should be held liable for the mess leading to the loss of the money. On Monday, the Commissioner for Land Registration in the Lands Ministry, Robert Opio told the Commission that the title was cancelled on October 22, 2019.
He said ministry officials were tricked into issuing titles to Bukenya and Engineer Dick Lutaaya. The Commission chairperson, Lady Justice Catherine Bamugemereire, said investigations now indicate that Bukenya was the main invisible hand behind the fraud in, which government lost shillings 8.3 Billion.
The Attorney General, William Byaruhanga has since ordered the recovery of the money from those who profiteered from it including more than two law firms Kirya and company Advocates and Katende Ssempebwa and Company Advocates as well as Land Survey firms.
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