By Mulengera Reporters
[Kushaba says powerful officials are shielding land grabbers and making Museveni unpopular among suffering Ugandans]
A fresh letter from State House has added a new twist to the Mulago land dispute, after the President’s legal office formally questioned how land originally belonging to Mulago National Referral Hospital was processed, permitted and eventually titled in favour of a private developer.
In a letter dated December 15, 2025 (seen by Mulengera news), State House Legal Adviser Aida Iteeka wrote to the Executive Director of Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and the Secretary of the Uganda Land Commission (ULC), raising concern over the alleged illegal acquisition of a certificate of title for land formerly comprised in Kibuga Block 5, Plot 790.
The letter indicates that Mulago Hospital management petitioned President YK Museveni over what they described as the unlawful grant of development permission and issuance of a land title on hospital land, demanding that all documents relating to the permit and title be submitted to facilitate further investigations, after which a meeting of all stakeholders will be held.
This comes after earlier reporting by Mulengera News showing that part of Mulago Hospital land along Dwaliro Road on Mulago Hill had allegedly been cleared for private use, despite strong objections from hospital management.
Official correspondence seen by this publication showed that while KCCA and court processes relied on an April 2024 survey report to guide decisions, Mulago Hospital consistently maintained that the land in question forms part of its legally acquired property.
In a September 23, 2025 letter to KCCA, Mulago Hospital stated that the land comprised in Block 5 Plot 790 was acquired between 1996 and 1998 under an African Development Bank-funded project, adding that all occupants at the time were compensated and vacated, further explaining that part of the land accommodates an access road created after acquisition to support hospital operations, warning that any private development would interfere with service delivery at the national referral facility.
Records also show that in 2022, KCCA condemned and ordered the demolition of a temporary structure (container kiosks) on the same land, citing non-compliance. That structure housed Get Well Pharmacy, whose continued presence later raised questions about how a site previously marked for demolition went on to benefit from fresh administrative actions.
Despite this history, KCCA in July 2025 issued a temporary development permission to remodel an existing structure on the land, following a consent judgment in a civil suit. The permission was limited in scope, restricted to existing structures, and subject to strict conditions, including demolition of any encroaching portions and compliance with building and planning laws.
Around the same period, the Uganda Land Commission issued a 49-year lease over land described as Kibuga Block 5, Plot 3531, measuring approximately 0.048 hectares, in the name of Mr Brian Samuel Segawa, effective January 1, 2025. Sources familiar with the matter say the original Mulago land title relating to Block 5 Plot 790 was later cancelled and a fresh plot number, 3532, created and issued to Segawa, a move that has now attracted scrutiny from State House.
Mulago Hospital maintains that the land forms part of its parking area and internal access network. The hospital had earlier opened an access road through the land, leaving a portion on the opposite side of the road. It is this remaining section that they say was later encroached upon.
Background information, according to PLU’s Susan Kushaba, shows that Segawa was initially a tenant, operating kiosks and containers on the land without ownership rights. Over time, the kiosks were rented out to accommodate a pharmacy, after which efforts to formalise occupation of the land allegedly intensified.
When contacted for comment, Mr Segawa dismissed the allegations, insisting that the plot was legally accorded to him and that it sits on government land, not Mulago Hospital land. He argued that Mulago, being a government entity just like the Uganda Land Commission, cannot claim that he acquired the land illegally when the same government processed and issued the lease. He added that any questions regarding the legality of the plot should be directed to the Uganda Land Commission, which he said handled the entire process.
It is at this stage that Kampala Central MP aspirant Susan Kushaba has weighed in, citing the State House letter as confirmation of what she calls deep-rooted failures in the protection of public and private land.
Kushaba, also a former St Balikuddembe (Owino) Market chairperson, alleges that Get Well Pharmacy on the disputed land is associated with renowned investor Hajji Omar Ahmed Mandela of the Mandela Group of Companies, whom she claims is controversially working with Mr Segawa. She further alleges that large sums of money went into lining the tummies of officials across different government offices as facilitation to regularise the land takeover. These claims have not been independently verified, having failed to get Mandela’s comment.
Kushaba condemned what she described as the quiet transfer of public assets through administrative processes, saying such actions mirror complaints she continues to hear from residents during her campaign engagements.
She is calling on President Museveni to closely examine the conduct of people he appoints to serve Ugandans, warning that many officials in powerful offices are causing widespread public anger and suffering, which is ultimately directed at the President. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
