The Deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC) for Kajjansi Town Council, Mr. Patrick Mubiru, has called for an emergency locus mediation meeting to resolve a long-standing dispute over a 521-acre estate in Wakiso District.
The multi-million-shilling estate, which belonged to the late Ezekeri Makabugo Sempagama Bunjo, spans two villages: Ngongolo ‘A’ and Ngongolo ‘B’.
In a letter dated June 8 to relevant authorities and stakeholders, Mr. Mubiru revealed that his office intervened following a petition from the grandchildren of the late Ham Kisasa. The petitioners accuse the estate’s heir and administrator, Mr. Kezekia Kizito, of mismanaging the property and unfairly distributing their late grandfather’s wealth.
“They further alleged that Kezekia Kizito sold plots on the land without the consent, permission, or holding any discussion with the family members,” the RDC stated.
The dispute escalated during a preliminary meeting held at the RDC’s office in Kitende last week, which Mr. Kizito did not attend. During the tense session, the Local Council 1 (LC1) Chairperson for Ngongolo ‘B’, Mr. Saul Kiwanuka, came under fire after contradicting himself regarding the illegal land transactions.
While Mr. Kiwanuka initially denied any knowledge of the unauthorized land sales, he later performed a U-turn under intense questioning.
“We agreed with him [Kezekia Kizito] through the land dealers, Kabambula, on the portions of land to be sold off together with other residents on the village. I also used to stamp on those land transactions after,” Mr. Kiwanuka confessed to the meeting.
His inconsistent remarks sparked a bitter altercation between him and the aggrieved family members, forcing Mr. Mubiru to schedule an emergency locus meeting for Wednesday, June 10, to de-escalate the situation and find a lasting solution.
Providing context to the feud, Mr. Vincent Ssebawutu, the officially appointed caretaker of the estate, explained that the family had previously agreed on how the land would be shared. During a family meeting on April 25, 2015, Mr. Kizito was directed to divide the land among four households representing their father’s lineage, which halted any further independent land dealings.
However, Mr. Ssebawutu alleges that Mr. Kizito bypassed the family, fraudulently transferred the land titles and Letters of Administration into his own name, and began selling off plots.
“During our last family meeting on May 30, 2015, the family agreed to place caveats on the land until a surveyor could partition it. Instead, Kizito fraudulently partitioned and sold off the land in Ngongolo. He has since avoided family meetings, yet new buildings keep sprouting up on different parts of the land,” Mr. Ssebawutu added.
Land disputes driven by administrative fraud and complicity of local leaders remain a significant challenge in Wakiso District. The upcoming locus meeting will attempt to verify boundaries and review the legality of the current property developments on the contested estate.