The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Luwero, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Brighton Ahimbisibwe, the incoming Luwero District Police Commander (DPC), has been warned about the traps set by affluent land grabbers who are suspected of using law enforcement officers to further their aims.
Several official reports from Luwero District have highlighted ongoing land disputes involving high-ranking authorities in the country.
For example, in February 2022, Uganda’s State Minister for Lands, Sam Mayanja, ordered the cancellation of six freehold land titles falsely created for the late Cranmer Kaaya’s family.
The Uganda Land Commission had extended the lease, which was due to expire in 2013, for 99 years. However, the Area Land Committee and the Luwero District Land Board established six freehold land titles on the same property that had not yet expired.
Former Vice President Edward Ssekandi, Dr. Alice Nakiwoga, John Bizimungu, Dan Mutagubya, Florence Asiimwe, and Beatrice Nyayisanga purchased the land.
In another case, Erismus Bukenya, a resident of Kamira Sub County, wrote to President Yoweri Museveni in March 2024, claiming that land grabbers had threatened his life and destroyed property worth millions.
The land grabbers attacked his farm attendants, butchered animals, and destroyed plantings with no support.
Bukenya had purchased 590 acres of land from the Non-Performing Asset Recovery Trust in 2000 for Shs5 million, but outsiders claimed ownership in 2018.
These cases, officials said, highlight the widespread and systemic nature of land grabbing in Luwero, which involves extensive participation from local politicians and police enforcement.
The situation has sparked popular outrage and calls for increased government engagement to protect legitimate landowners and uphold the rule of law.
Speaking during the ceremony to bid farewell to John Ojokuna, the outgoing Luwero District Police Commander (DPC) at St. Paul Hotel in Kasana, Luwero Town Council, Sheikh Ramadhan Mulindwa Nsanja, the Kadhi Luwero Muslim District, encouraged the incoming DPC, Ahimbisibwe, to continue the legacy of collaboration, stakeholder engagement, and community-oriented policing set by his predecessor.
He then warned him about the difficulties of dealing with affluent land grabbers, advising him to remain vigilant and avoid falling into their traps. According to Sheikh Mulindwa, these affluent individuals first befriend police officers before bribing them to side with them and provide protection as they target plots of land.
Sheikh Mulindwa also praised SSP Ojokuna for his exceptional efforts in building and streamlining the police force and establishing closer relationships between the police and the community to improve policing activities. He regarded Ojokuna as a humble, responsive, collegial, and approachable officer. Sheikh Mulindwa expressed gratitude and presented Ojokuna with the Luwero Muslim District Best Award Certificate in acknowledgment of his outstanding achievement.
He underscored the significance of unity and solidarity within the law enforcement community, emphasizing that they are all working together to make Luwero District a safer and more secure place.
The occasion was presided over by Seif Katabaazi, the Luwero Deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC), and attended by SP Kasigire Michael, the Deputy Savannah Regional Police Commander (RPC), and Luwero District LC V Chairman Erasto Kibirango, among others.
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