UGANDA, Mbarara | Real Muloodi News | A recent audit report has uncovered the disappearance of four crucial land titles from the Lands inventory at Mbarara District headquarters. The missing titles include parcels of land allocated for Kamukuzi, Unicef, Kakyeka Stadium, and Bwizibwera within Mbarara District.
David Muhwezi, the chief administrative officer (CAO) of Mbarara District, disclosed the unsettling findings to the district public accounts committee during a session held on Thursday, 21st March, 2024.
According to Muhwezi, upon requesting the land titles from Mbarara, he was provided with photocopies instead of the original documents.
Subsequent verification revealed the absence of seven original land titles, raising concerns about the security and integrity of the district’s land records.
Of particular concern is the missing land title for the Bwizibwera property, earmarked for the construction of the district headquarters in Bwizibwera–Rutooma town council. This land has been subject to encroachment by Fred Ibabaza Kamugira, the former district chairperson, who obtained a title for a portion of the land.
Muhwezi highlighted another case of land encroachment on the Kamukuzi property, where 20 plots out of the original 37 have been illegally seized and omitted from the land title records. This discrepancy poses significant challenges in obtaining a special land title for the Kamukuzi area.
In terms of accountability, Muhwezi attributed the responsibility for the missing land titles to former chief administrative officer Edward Kasagara.
However, Kasagara has reportedly taken steps to facilitate the recovery of the titles by disbursing Shs 11 million for this purpose.
Responding to the alarming revelation, Herbert Kamugisha, chairperson of the district public accounts committee, directed the CAO to escalate the matter to the anti-corruption unit and the Inspector General of Government (IGG) for a thorough investigation.
Additionally, the committee recommended urgent actions to retrieve the original land titles and summon Fred Kamugira to clarify the circumstances surrounding his acquisition of land within government property.
Kamugira is expected to face prosecution for any unlawful actions related to the land encroachment issue.
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