UGANDA, Kampala | Real Muloodi News | Court in Kampala set October 26, 2021, for the hearing of a property case filed by 24 families of Asian origin against the Departed Asians Property Custodian Board.
On October 12, the 24 families applied for a permanent injunction on properties on Plot 98-104 Kampala Road in Nakivubo, which was allegedly reallocated to one Mr Abdul Kasai fraudulently.
The properties according to the families belonged to their Asian relatives who Idi Amin, the former president of Uganda, expelled.
Mr John Karuhanga, the commissioner of land registration at the Ministry of Lands, on September 28, wrote to the families’ representative, Prof. Syed Abidi, informing him that the title issued was in error and should, therefore, be cancelled.
“This office further received instructions from Departed Asians Property Custodian Board to issue a special certificate of title for LRV 646 Folio 12 Plot 98 to 104 Kampala Road. The MoF accordingly issued a certificate of receipt to one Kasai Abdu upon directive by President Museveni. You are, therefore, advised to follow up on the issue of ownership of this land with MoF, DAPCB, and Parliament of Uganda,” the part of the letter read.
The tenants came to learn about the property reallocation when the commissioner of land registration at the Ministry of Lands put a notice in the Uganda Gazette on August 13, 2021, showing that he intended to issue a special certificate of the plot, which is lost.
However, the concerned families’ umbrella groups, Parkview Ltd and Bharat Homes Ltd, responded, stating they had the title deeds to the properties and had never been lost.
The documents show the Ministry had already allocated the properties to someone else, according to a May 19, 2021, letter.
This means that the notice of the Ministry of Lands came after issuing a special certificate to another owner.
This is not the first time this property matter is coming up. On August 15, 2019, the then government Attorney General, Mr William Byaruhanga, intervened in the matter.
“It is, therefore, my opinion that the property has been repossessed under the Expropriated Properties Act by the issuance of the repossession certificate by the minister is not subject to allocation or interference by Custodian Board and MoF (Ministry of Finance),” Mr Byaruhanga said.
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