By Mulengera Reporters
For years, the proprietors and leaders of Mbale-based Yahweh East Healing Center Ministries have been battling for control and ownership of a prime plot of land located a long Cathedral Avenue and on plot 46, to be exact. The Church intended to erect permanent structures on the land it erroneously considered to be theirs.
However, things fell apart when Uganda Land Commission, which had in 2024 issued them a five year lease, accepted advice and guidance from the Attorney General Kiwanuka Kiryowa to the effect that the Mbale City Land Board (MCLB) had jurisdiction over the land, and not them (the Commission).
The AG had last May been petitioned by the MCLB Chairman lawyer Paul Wanyoto and this prompted him to conduct inquiries into the matter before writing and tendering his legal opinion dated 2nd August last year.
Having perused all historical documents relating to the land, the AG made reference to how ownership of the same land had been evolving and was impacted upon by different laws and legal enactments (the Public Lands Act of 1962; the Municipality of Mbale Act; Amin’s Land Reform Decree of 1975 and all the way to the 1995 Constitution) since before even Uganda attained independence.
In the end, the AG came to the conclusion that its MCLB that had jurisiction over all the land (comprised in Plots 46-52 LRV 375 Folio 25 Cathedral Avenue Mbale City) and not ULC.
Subsequently, the ULC Secretary Andrew Nyumba recently wrote to the parties concerned making it clear that the ULC governing board had during their 22nd-26th July session considered and acknowledged the AG’s guidance and had accordingly withdrawn its claim in the subject land.
Nyumba revealed that Zubair Galiwango, M/s Yahweh East Healing Center Ministries Ltd and other allocatees in whose favor the ULC had issued leases had to consider putting in fresh lease applications directly addressed to the MCLB whose officials by the way aren’t legally bound to accept and grant those lease applications. He only advised the Mbale City Land Board to consider the duo and where possible consider regularizing and making good what had earlier on been allocated in their favor.
Nyumba also proceeded to surrender the files concerning the land in question back to the Mbale City Land Board after the Lands Ministry PS Dorcas Okalany had intervened and caused the same to be passed on to ULC for both custody and appropriate management. The different files related to Plots 5-15 on Independence Avenue relating to Ms Sheila Ebaka Akandwanaho and Plot 46 Cathedral Avenue relating to Mr. Abubakari Nangosha.
However, the Yahwew Church officials remained dissatisfied and responded to all this disastrous defeat by directly petitioning the President and the State House Anti-Corruption Unit from where no response has been received so far-months later.
The victorious officials at the Mbale City Land Board now consider this a settled matter even when the leadership of Yahweh East Healing Center Ministries still consider the battle to be far from over and have resorted to blaming Mbale district NRM Chairman Muhamood Masaba who they claim has been using his position and influence to shield their adversaries like Ms. Sheila Ebaka Akandwanaho and others. Masaba denies any wrongdoing saying he is merely being targeted for no good reason. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
