By Nabimanya Ronald
In the ongoing public discourse surrounding the Temangalo land dispute, the narrative presented by the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) often paints a simple picture of institutional entitlement versus individual defiance. However, a close examination of the facts presented before Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) reveals a far more nuanced reality. Businessman Amos Nzeyi is not merely resisting eviction out of bad faith; he is standing on presented substantial legal, contractual, and practical grounds to protect his long-standing primary residence, active farm, and fundamental property rights.
At the heart of Nzeyi’s defense is the fact that the vast majority of the original 2008 land transaction was successfully executed. Out of the 463.87 acres initially involved, nearly 97 percent of the land was transferred to NSSF without issue. The remaining contention involves a residual fraction of roughly 45 to 55 acres on Plot 12—the specific portion containing Nzeyi’s personal home, livestock paddocks, and active agricultural developments built long before the deal. Forcing an immediate eviction from a family homestead while contractual parameters surrounding an agreed land-swap remain unresolved flies in the face of natural justice and procedural equity.
Far from taking an unyielding or obstructive stance, Nzeyi has consistently offered practical, financial solutions to bring this decades-long impasse to a peaceful end. Through his legal counsel, Senior Advocate Peter Kabatsi of Kampala Associated Advocates, Nzeyi presented NSSF and lawmakers with two clear, out-of-court compromises. First, he expressed a full willingness to refund NSSF the money paid for the contested acreage so that he can retain his family home intact. Alternatively, if NSSF insists on acquiring the entire contiguous tract for its housing development, Nzeyi offered to sell his remaining 110-acre holding at prevailing market rates. These proposals directly dismantle the claim that Nzeyi is acting in bad faith, demonstrating instead a landowner ready to negotiate on fair financial terms.
Furthermore, Nzeyi’s defense rests on an unappealed legal precedent that state institutions cannot simply choose to ignore. In 2013, the Temangalo dispute was subjected to formal, binding arbitration, resulting in a judgment that upheld the validity of the underlying Memorandum of Understanding governing the land. Because NSSF never successfully appealed or overturned that arbitrated decision, its recent application in the High Court seeking a fresh eviction order attempts to bypass a legally binding outcome. Procedural fairness demands that established arbitration decisions be respected rather than circumvented through new litigation strategies whenever convenient.
Finally, practical infrastructure considerations make a negotiated settlement the only sensible path forward for all parties. During recent site visits, COSASE legislators uncovered that the primary access road leading to NSSF’s planned multi-billion-shilling housing development passes directly through land owned by Nzeyi. Initiating an aggressive eviction without securing unencumbered legal access creates an unnecessary infrastructural bottleneck that risks landlocking NSSF’s own project.
Amos Nzeyi is not asking for special treatment; he is demanding clarity, adherence to past legal processes, and a fair resolution that respects property rights. By offering cash refunds or fair-market buyouts, he has provided a clear, lawful path out of a two-decade deadlock. It is now incumbent upon NSSF and regulatory authorities to engage these proposals in good faith, choosing mutual agreement over forced displacement.
Ronald Nabimanya is a Concerned citizen, Author and Publisher focused on development communication and African narratives. He can be accessed bishanga.ronald@gmail.com. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
