Christians at St Luke’s Anglican Church in Kirangira, Mukono Municipality, are rejoicing after a court ruled in their favor, allowing them to retain a four-acre piece of land long contested by a private claimant.
The Minister for Lands, Sam Mayanja, had in May 2024 ordered the church’s demolition following claims by James Sserwanga Lwanga, who alleged he inherited the land from his parents in 1985.
The minister instructed Archbishop Stephen Samuel Kazimba Mugalu of the Church of Uganda to oversee the demolition, prompting the church leadership to seek intervention from the President’s Office. The matter was subsequently referred to the courts.
Lwanga filed a case against the registered trustees of the Mukono Diocese in 2024, asserting ownership through documents including Busuulu tickets.
The diocese countered that it had occupied the land since 1974 following a donation from the late Diika Banoba and had maintained a school and church building on the land until 2019, when Lwanga’s claims intensified.
A key factor in the court’s decision was a previous ruling in Civil Suit No. M71 of 1994, which declared Lwanga’s mother a trespasser on the same land.
Acting Chief Magistrate Nassozi Rehema Ssebbowa ruled on September 15, 2025, that the current suit was barred under the doctrine of res judicata, upholding the diocese’s claim.
The church celebrated the ruling on September 27 with a thanksgiving service, during which 64 believers were confirmed by retired Bishop Eria Paulo Luzinda Kizito.
Samuel Ssebadduka, estates manager at St. Luke’s, described the relief felt by the congregation after enduring years of attacks, vandalism, and repeated fence destruction.
‘We have long suffered with these intruders who attacked our Reverend, destroyed windows, and cut barbed wire. But we are now happy and certain that whatever we put onto the land will stay,’ he said of the development.
Rev. Rogers Kityo, head priest at the church, stressed the importance of thorough investigations before issuing public directives. While ‘forgiving’ Minister Mayanja, he suggested an apology would help mend relations with the congregation.
Ruth Banoba, widow of the late Diika Banoba, criticized the slow pace of land transfer processes, which she believes contributed to attempts at land grabbing.
On his part, retired Bishop Luzinda condemned rising impunity in the country, warning against the loss of property to unscrupulous individuals.
Dr Sarah Daisy Ssonko, NRM flag bearer for Mukono Municipality and a church member, urged Christians to ‘utilize church land productively to protect it from grabbers.’