UGANDA, Mbarara | Real Muloodi News | Land grabbing in Mbarara took a tense turn after residents of Kacence East Cell in Mbarara City confronted a businessman and a local council chairperson over an alleged attempt to illegally take over disputed family land, resulting in near mob violence before police intervened.
The incident involved Robert Kamugisha, a businessman from Kabale District, and the area LC1 chairperson, John Mugisha, also known as Mushaijomwe. The two were accused by residents of allegedly participating in Land Grabbing in Mbarara by attempting to take possession of approximately 2.7 hectares of land said to belong to the family of the late Shaban Gawite.
According to residents and family members, Kamugisha allegedly entered the land earlier in the week, graded part of it, erected a fence and destroyed crops belonging to more than 10 farmers who had been cultivating the land under rental arrangements. The actions sparked anger among residents, who mobilized and chased both men off the property.
Family members said the land has belonged to Gawite’s children since his death in 1977. At the time, the property was reportedly entrusted to the then LC1 chairperson, Ahamed Karangwa, to manage on behalf of the family, whose children were living abroad. Karangwa was responsible for collecting rent from tenants and forwarding it to the family, according to relatives.
Karangwa died in 2024, after which Mugisha, then his vice chairperson, assumed leadership of the cell.
James Kenyata Shaban, one of Gawite’s sons, accused the current LC1 chairperson of colluding with alleged fraudsters to sell the land without the family’s consent. He said the land was allegedly sold for 70 million Ugandan shillings.
“When I heard that our land had been sold, I was out of the country,” Kenyata said. “I returned immediately and went to the land. I asked the chairman for clarification, but he was evasive. The agreements presented to us are forgeries. We reported the matter to police, and officers have since visited the site.”
Residents also alleged that Mugisha had issued threats, claiming he could not be challenged because he works at State House, an assertion that could not be independently verified.
Former area councilor Gertrude Wasajja said the alleged transaction was conducted without consultation with the LC1 executive or the Gawite family.
“We want whoever claims to have bought this land to go back to the person who sold it and demand a refund,” Wasajja said. “This land belongs to the family. The farmers whose crops were destroyed must be compensated.”
Police officers intervened before the confrontation escalated into mob justice. Authorities said investigations into the alleged Land Grabbing in Mbarara are ongoing as tensions remain high in the area.
Land disputes remain a recurring issue in several parts of the country, with local leaders and private individuals frequently implicated in contested land transactions.
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