On Thursday morning, there was tension and drama at Entebbe Chief Magistrate’s Court as land broker Muhammad Kamoga survived arrest by mean looking court bailiffs and police over fraud.
Kamoga was saved by his lawyers led by Alex Kamukama of Magna Advocates who whisked him away as bailiffs and police officers armed with an arrest warrant issued against him and a one Fredrick Ssengooba Kwatakunsawo a brother to former vice president of Uganda Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi.
After spending months looking for them, police officers and bailiffs were tipped that Kamoga was supposed to appear before Entebbe Chief Magistrate Court on charges related to fraud.
They decided to use the opportunity to arrest him from there and drag him to the Land Division of the High Court to face the judge who issued the arrest warrant against him.
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Upon reaching court, Kamoga was also tipped that he was surrounded and very soon he was going to be arrested.
He decided to hide in his lawyer’s car and it was driven at breath neck speed as a police patrol and bailiffs tried to pursue him.
When he realised that they were nearly reaching the said car, he jumped out of the car and vanished on a boda boda.
According to the arrest warrant, Kamoga together with Ssengooba are wanted on charges regarding to a fraudulent land deal measuring 16 acres at Bukaaya and the duo have been on the run since 2018.
“Whereas the said Muhammad Kamoga and Fredrick Kwatakunsawo have not fulfilled their obligations as ordered by the decree of this court dated August 31, 2018, this is to command you to arrest the said judgment debtors unless the said judgment debtors (Kamoga and Seengooba and bring them before court with the convenient speed,” the court order reads in part.
At Entebbe Chief Magistrate’s Court, Kamoga the proprietor of Kamoga property consultants was there to answer to accusations of fraud and forgery regarding transfer of 200 acres of land at Garuga, Bukaya Entebbe in Wakiso District.
Bugingo Andrew Nganda, the complaint against Kamoga said that the land broker has been eluding arrest since 2018 after he fraudulently transferred his several land titles into his name before subdividing it for sale and also donating part of it for construction of a mosque at Bukaya.
Kamoga also faces criminal charges that include fraud, forgery, unlawful eviction, and malicious destruction of property at Entebbe Chief Magistrate Court.
The presiding Magistrate adjourned the case to 26th May 2025 for hearing.
The trial date was set after the Court of Appeal justices overturned the Criminal Division of the High Court ruling which stayed the proceedings against Kamoga in 2024.
In their decision, three justices of the Court of Appeal held that the Criminal Division of High Court lacked jurisdiction to stop criminal prosecution against Kamoga declaring the High Court decision as illegal.
They added that Kamoga had no right in law to petition the High Court for an Order of stay of criminal proceedings against him which were ongoing at Entebbe Chief Magistrates Court.
“This is a valid reason why the trial judge ought not to have stayed the criminal proceedings. If a party commits a crime in pursuit of its civil rights, he or she can still be prosecuted. If one alleges that the transfer instrument was forged, investigation and prosecution of the culprit should continue,” the court held.
Kamoga is facing two criminal files; in the first case file, he is charged with six counts of forgery, uttering false documents, and obtaining land registration fraudulently.
It is alleged that between May 7, 2020, and February 8, 2021, at the Wakiso land offices, Kamoga forged the signature of Peter Bibangamba on land transfer forms for Busiro Block 435, Plot 8, and 100 other plots measuring over 200 acres fraudulently claiming that they had been signed by Peter Bibangamba, whereas not.
He is also charged with uttering forged transfer forms to the offices of Wakiso land office and obtaining registration on land comprising Busiro Block 435 Plot 8 and 100 other plots fraudulently.
The second case file involves charges of unlawful eviction and malicious damage to property where Kamoga is alleged to have evicted people from the same land and maliciously damaged their property on February 19 and 20, 2021.
In September 2023, Kamoga was charged with multiple counts of forgery, uttering a false document and obtaining registration by false pretence.
The charges are in connection with the alleged fraudulent acquisition of ownership of 200-acres of land on two villages of Bukaya and Bugoba – Garuga, in Katabi Town Council, Wakiso District.
The land belonged to Mr Peter Bibangamba.
