UGANDA, Namanve | Real Muloodi News | The Attorney General has requested Mukono High Court to allow it to represent four senior police officers involved in a Namanve land case, popularly known as the Kirumira land case, between businessmen Godfrey Kalule Kirumira and Prof Minaz Karmali.
Kirumira claims that on Thursday, 2nd February 2023, the officers stopped him and his employees from accessing the disputed land and removed a motor vehicle despite a court order, prompting him to sue.
Mr Kirumira wants court to compel the police officers to pay him USh500m in compensation, and be penalised for allegedly disobeying the court order.
However, the Attorney General’s office believes that the police officers are not personally liable for the actions and that they should be represented separately.
In an application filed on April 26, Senior State Attorney Mark Muwonge stated that the “actions alleged to have been committed were done in the course of their duties as police officers.”
He continued: “It is the mandate of the Attorney General to defend the actions of government or any other legal proceedings to which government is a party.”
The officers named in the suit are Mr Anatoli Katungwesi, the Kampala East Regional Police Commander; Mr Erasmus Twaruhukwa, the police’s legal adviser; Mr Edirisa Kyeyune, the Mukono District Police Commander, and Ms Alice Norah Akide, the officer-in-charge of Namanve Police Station.
Mr Kirumira claims that the police officers disobeyed a temporary injunction order issued on February 15, 2022, and is now seeking the court to convict Mr Kyeyune and Ms Akide for alleged contempt of court.
On February 19, the businessman further applied to the court that Mr Katungwesi and Twaruhukwa should be “jointly and severely held to be in contempt of court” for disobeying the 2022 order.
However, the Attorney General wants to remain the only respondent in the case and has requested the court to strike off the police officers from the suit.
On Friday April 28, Justice David Matovu adjourned the case to allow Mr Kirumira to respond to the Attorney General’s application.
“Let the application be served to [Mr] Kirumira’s lawyer, Mr Francis Ssebowa, before fixing it for hearing on May 25,” Justice Matovu said.
Background
Mr Kirumira has been embroiled in a legal battle over 46 acres of land in Namanve Industrial Park, Wakiso District, with the proprietor of Liberty ICD Limited, Prof Karmali, for the past two years.
Mr Kirumira claims he is the registered proprietor of the kibanja in Namanve, but the government and the investor say he acquired it illegally.
According to court documents, Mr Kirumira allegedly transferred Plot 393, Block 113 in the heart of Namanve into his name, yet the land belongs to Prof Karmali.
Prof Karmali and the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) found out about the transfer when UIA wanted to buy part of the land and lease it to Chinese investors. At that time, they discovered that Kirumira had allegedly taken possession of the land, valued at USh15 billion, for only USh400 million.
Mr. Kirumira has stated in his defense that he purchased the land from Yokana Galikwoleka Mukasa in October of 2017. However, according to Mr. Joseph Muwangizi, who has been a resident for the past 30 years, Mukasa passed away in 1996.
As a result, Mr Karmali says Mr Kirumira’s deals are tainted with fraud and forgery.
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