UGANDA, Wakiso | Real Muloodi News | Thousands of residents and businesses in Lubowa, Lweza, Bunamwaya, and Mutungo are facing uncertainty following a High Court ruling that potentially exposes them to eviction from contested NSSF land.
Last year, Justice Musa Ssekaana of the Civil Division of the High Court ruled in favour of the five administrators of the late Prince Yusuf Suuna Kiweewa’s estate, affirming their legitimate interest in the land.
The ruling stipulates that the government cannot extinguish their interest without adequate compensation, as declared on December 19, 2023.
Numerous public entities, including housing projects of the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), the National Housing and Construction Corporation, the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC), Roofings Limited, Quality Supermarket Limited, and the Lubowa Home Owners Association, among others, are affected by the ruling.
Additionally, private entities such as Finasiroko Construction Centre, British Education Services, Galaxy International School Uganda, Regina Estate, and Africa Bible University of Uganda, face uncertainties over their land tenure.
The Attorney General’s office has lodged a notice of appeal before the Court of Appeal to challenge the High Court ruling, but the hearing is pending.
The disputed land spans approximately two square miles, and NSSF Managing Director Patrick Ayota disclosed that the Fund occupies about 600 acres in Lubowa, acquired through various transactions between 2003 and 2017.
Mr Ayota emphasised that the Fund legally owns the land, having regained full possession in February 2020 after facing disputes and encroachment.
According to Mr. Norbert Uwizera, the chairperson of Lubowa residents, historical complexities surrounding land ownership persist, fueling legal disputes and uncertainties.
The inheritance-based litigation has broader implications for the government, potentially exposing it to compensation claims worth billions of shillings from homeowners and opening doors to further land claims across the Kampala Metropolitan and wider Wakiso District.
In 2021, the administrators of Prince Suuna’s estate filed a lawsuit in the Civil Division of the High Court, seeking titles for land parcels in Nakukuba, Mutungo, Lweza, Lubowa, Nanziba, and Bunamwaya.
Alternatively, they demanded compensation equivalent to the market value of the contested land.
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