Land fraud: Commissioner, district officials granted bail

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Six out of 11 people accused of double titling and the fraudulent procurement of certificates of title for land in Gomba have been released on varying bail terms.

The acting commissioner for mapping and surveys, Jasper Kakooza, and businessman Allan Nuwahereza Katakanya, 39, were granted cash bail of sh10m, while their sureties were directed to execute a non-cash bond of sh50m.

Others include Nicodemus Sitenda Magulu, 39 (Mpigi district physical planner), Hakim Bassajjangabo, 42 (Gomba district senior assistant secretary), and Gladys Nakanwagi, 37 (Gomba district labour officer), who were all granted cash bail of sh5m. Hajji Badru Ismail Kayongo, 69 (former Gomba district land board chairman), was released on a cash bail of sh3m, with his sureties bonded at sh25m.

The accused were released on bail by Anti-Corruption Court Grade One Magistrate Esther Asiimwe on Friday last week and Wednesday, May 7, 2025.

Asiimwe released the accused on bail after substantial sureties were presented, including Ben Kavuya, chairman of East African Medical Vitals, who stood surety for Kakooza.

“Most of the sureties are working for government entities, whose documents were easily accessible due to the fact that they are government employees,” the magistrate said.

The rest of the accused were further remanded until May 9, 2025, after being instructed to produce substantial sureties, and those who have not applied for bail were advised to do so.

They include Andrew Ssiwuliliza Sserunkuma, 60 (LC1 chairman of Mpogo village in Gomba district), George Mudenyi, 34 (security guard working with Pyramid Security Group), casual labourer Abudu Senoga, 39, David Nabimanya, 40 (security supervisor at Pyramid Security Group), bodaboda rider Harunah Kisenyi, 18, Vincent Mugenyi, 46 (Gomba district deputy resident commissioner), and businessman Fred Kirenga.

The case

The accused are battling charges of abuse of office, contrary to section 10 (1) of the Anti-Corruption Act; forgery, contrary to sections 319 and 322 (a) of the Penal Code Act; and fraudulent procurement of a certificate of title, contrary to section 174 of the Registration of Titles Act, Cap 240. The accused have since denied the charges.

The offence of abuse of office attracts a seven-year jail term upon conviction, while the offences of forgery and fraudulent procurement of a certificate of title attract a maximum sentence of three years' imprisonment.

According to the prosecution, the accused allegedly conspired and created an overlapping title on an existing title covering approximately 1,454 acres of land belonging to Madhvani Group Limited, situated in Gomba District.

Consequently, the accused went ahead to conduct a boundary opening and purportedly took possession of over 600 acres of land, and in the process, destroyed tea plantations and over 540 acres of natural forest.

Kakooza is accused of authoring and signing a letter on behalf of the Lands Ministry Permanent Secretary, falsely representing that the land under Grant No. 8286 was a lease that had expired in 2008 and had reverted to the government, whereas the same is a freehold registered under FRV 60 Folio 4 Gomba belonging to Madhvani Group Limited.

According to the prosecution, Kakooza’s act was prejudicial to the interests of his employer (the Lands Ministry). He allegedly committed the offence on May 22, 2013, at the Lands Ministry offices in Kampala.

The prosecution further alleges that Magulu, on November 10, 2016, at the Mpigi land offices, in abuse of the authority of his office as a cartographer, irregularly plotted plots 32, 33, 34, 36 and 37 at Musongole, Gomba district, overlapping existing land comprised in FRV 60 Folio 4 Gomba belonging to Madhvani Group Limited.

Magulu and Mugenyi are also accused of forging the application for conversion from customary to freehold tenure to procure the registration of a freehold certificate of title for Block 31, Plots 32 and 34 at Mpogo into the names of Godfrey Bwire, Jackie Nabayego, Catherine Nasasira and Francis Balungi between 2016 and 2017 in Gomba District.

The duo is also accused of making false statements that Bwire, Nabayego, Nasasira and Balungi were customary owners of the land in the application.

The two, along with others, allegedly forged applications for conversion from customary to freehold tenure to procure freehold certificates of title for several other people.