KAMPALA
City Pastor Daniel Walugembe has dismissed accusations on Katanga Valley land near Wandegeya saying that he owns Kibanja interests and not the landlord.
He said that his interests were confirmed by the Courts of law following different court decisions of 2015, 2019 and 2021 while his accusers lost their claims lost.
“I acquired my interests from the family of the late Ashe Mukasa Sendaula who sold me 15 acres of their Kibanja while the 13.7 acres were sold to me by the other licensees. It is unfortunate that today a section of people are going around blackmailing me for grabbing their bibanja yet their claims were dismissed for lack of evidence,” he said.
Addressing the media in Kampala, Walugembe armed with documents said that his interests were confirmed by court decisions which were never appealed nor challenged.
He revealed that he purchased the 15 acres from five family members Bulasio Buyise, Jonathan Masembe, Sendawula Ronald, Sendawula Isiah and Latimer Mpagi.
Documents show that the family members are beneficiaries of the estate of the late Ashe Mukasa Sendawula who were declared bonafide occupants of the Katanga land by the High Court and their licensees among them Walugembe.
According to Walugembe, none of the accusers have ever come up with documents to prove their Kibabja interest in Katanga but rather misleading the public and authorities about his interest.
In 2015, the Land Division of the High Court before then Judge Alphonse Owiny Dollo cited the 1998 Land Act which provides that an occupant of land seeking to benefit from the provision of bonafide occupancy has to prove possession of 12 years with out any challenge to such occupation.
The court declared Makerere University as the registered proprietor of the same land.
“While the plaintiffs are protected by law as bonafide occupants, thereof, and are entitled to continue enjoying their occupation. I have found that the plaintiffs have been in uninterrupted occupation of the suit land and are therefore protected by law from being evicted there from,” the court held.
The court decision, cemented the agreement which the family had signed with Walugembe for the sale and transfer of their interest on 15 acres of the Kibanja.
Court documents show that in October 2017, five family members jointly with Walugembe entered a consent before then Justice Alexandria Nkonge Rugadya confirming that they had sold their interest to him.
The consent judgement shows that the family had surrender to pastor a vacant kibanja and also evict those who had illegally settled onto the kibanja.
In September 2021, the High Court before justice Nkonge dismissed with costs, the case in which 100 people had sued Walugembe jointly with the family members.
The group had sought to challenge the consent judgement reasoning that they did not have any legal grievance in the land and the cases handled by court.
The group was represented by Hassan Ssegawa Kambugu, Bobby M. Kasujja, Proscovia Najjemba, Nsangi Sarah and Nabuule Beatrice.
“The applicants (100 claimants) in this matter who also claim to be bonafide occupants in that same area, a contention which the respondents (family) however deny, never took the trouble to challenge that decision which was kissed by this court as early as 2015” Justice Nkonge held.
According to court, with the ownership of the land having been duly determined as early as the 1990s and confirmed by the court in 2015, the claimants could not be seen to bring the same matter years later.
The revelations followed media reports in which a section of residents in Katanga accusing Walugembe of claiming ownership of the land.
