By Mulengera ReportersEddie Ssentumbwe Busuulwa, the Sweeden-based wealthy Ugandan Nkuba Kyeyo, has gone to war with some of the occupants who bought Shs200m worth condominium properties from his Kyanja-based Karibu Service Apartments.
The property occupants and owners have dragged Eddie Busuulwa Ssentumbwe to the Makindye-based Standards & Utilities court, accusing him of illegally disconnecting their electricity supply. He is facing criminal charges relating to illegal power disconnection affecting several condominium property owners and occupants.
Its these who are complainants in the ongoing prosecution trial at the Makindye court before Her Worship Magistrate Gladys Kamasanyu. On Monday, the larger than life Eddie Busuulwa Ssentumbwe (accompanied by a large group of friends) was in the dock to defend himself. He had two defense witnesses namely the 38-year-old Hermany Musoke and 40-year-old Ayub Ayoo who is an electrician working with Herme Homes Ltd. The duo were led to testify and give evidence for him, by the defense Counsel.
The aggrieved occupants assert that the dispute started when ESB, a company for which Busuulwa serves as the Managing Director, started giving them unreasonable monthly bills to cater for the servicing of Karibu Apartments. They are aggrieved that over and above the Shs250,000/= they had been used to paying per month, another Shs350,000/= was arbitrarily added.
There was no explanation and when the condominium units owners complained, Mr. Busuulwa’s ESB Company simply disconnected them from power supply for which they claim to have paid. And they believe that, being the MD and therefore the controlling and directing mind of the company, Mr. Busuulwa is personally responsible and the right person to stand trial.
Court documents indicate that having to pay Shs600,000/= per month in just servicing charges would make owning a property on Mr. Busuulwa’s Karibu Service Apartments unprofitable because every tenant pays just Shs1m per month to occupy someone’s condominium unit on the same property.
Losing Shs600,000 in service charges, leaves a property owner with just Shs400,000/= in rent for a property Mr. Busuulwa sold to them at a whopping Shs200m.
Because they considered the power disconnection unlawful because its UEDCL, and not Mr. Busuulwa’s ESB Company, that they consider and recognize to be the legitimate authority to which monthly electricity access fees have to be paid, the aggrieved condominium units owners caused the criminal case to be commenced at the Makindye-based Utilities court.
The matter is before Her Worship Gladys Kamasanyu before whom other court users wondered during the Monday session as to why such a small matter couldn’t be resolved amicably as opposed to moneybags Eddie Busuulwa having to endure all the humiliation of having to be arrested, locked up and criminally prosecuted besides being made to stand in the dock instead of expending his valuable time on more useful work.
There are also concerns that as a property owner, Mr. Busuulwa is more comfortable selling to fellow Nkuba Kyeyos from the Scandinavian countries as opposed to Kampala-based hasslers. Indeed at his Karibu Service Apartments, fellow Nkuba Kyeyo condominium units owners seem to be okay and comfortable with him and its only Kampala-based hasslers, and also property owners on the apartment, that have turned out to be very problematic for him.
During the Monday session, Her Worship Kamasanyu advised the parties to concentrate on giving evidence as opposed to making reference to personal differences and other personal grievances they might be having against each other. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
