By Our Reporter
In a one page letter, the Kabaka of Buganda through Buganda Land Board which manages Buganda kingdom land has fortified the Madhvani Group ownership of the Nakigalala land particularized as Block 366, 372 and 374. Being eyed by government for purposes of establishing a satellite city, the land has been under firm grip and possession of the Madhvani Group for the last 60 years. This fact too has been fortified by many judicial decisions including Justice Andrew Byabashaija’s 2012 ruling which confirmed the Group’s ownership of the same. Byabashaija held that way because groups like the one represented by Prince Robert Mukuma failed to prove their assertion that the Madhvani Group land title had resulted from fraudulent decision-making by Lands Ministry officials. Prince Alexander Ssimbwa, some of whose descendants claim ownership, severally lost court cases to the Madhvani Group and died when a bill of Shs200m was hanging over his head. Perhaps out of courtesy and desire not to embarrass the royal family, the Madhvani Group has been reluctant to enforce the recovery of that Shs200m against late Ssimbwa’s estate. There has also been ex-Nakawa Mayor Benjamin Kalumba who has been claiming under the family of Muwanga Omuweesi. Progress on that suit has been slow because an indifferent Kalumba hasn’t been very enthusiastic in prosecuting his own case. According to Urban Development Minister Isaac Musumba, the GoU is in talks with the Madhvani Group to acquire the Nakigalala Tea Estate land for the establishment of a satellite city in partnership with Malaysian investors. The Kabaka letter corroborating the Madhvani Group claim of ownership of the land reads as follows: “We hereby confirm that according to our records, we have no interest in the land above described particularly as FRV 45/2 and FRV2/23. We are aware that the above blocks belong to the Madhvani Group and the relevant Titles are held by the same company.” The letter is signed by Kyewalabye Male, the CEO Buganda Land Board which manages all the Kingdom land. This clarifies on the false impression that was created by media reports of 4th January 2019. The impugned media reports indicated that by paying billions to the Group as lawful compensation to pave way for the satellite city, financial loss would result to the Ugandan taxpayer whereas not.
