Buganda Land Board spokesperson who also doubles as the company’s legal officer Denis Bugaya has exclusively confirmed to this website that Kabaka of Buganda Ronald Muwenda Mutebi has instructed them to caveat pieces of the land owned by fallen city tycoon Bulaimu Muwanga Kibirige (BMK).
According to the document seen by this website, the land caveated are comprised on Kyadondo Block 273 Plot 46 and 44 situated at Mulamula road and Kyadondo Block 254 Plot 770 at Kasanga and Kibanja registered Vide BLB\01\1162 at Katuuso in Makindye Division Kampala city.
“It has come to our attention that there are allegations through print and social media platforms alluding to how these properties were transferred from the names of Bulaimu Muwanga Kibirige (Deceased). This information prompted us as landlords to carry out a search on the register and it revealed that the contested property is registered in the names of Haruna Kalule Muwanga,” documents signed by Simon Kabogoza the Buganda Land Board Chief Executive Officer read in parts.
He explained to the Commissioner Land Registration in the Ministry of Lands Housing and Urban Development that according to their files, as landlords, they described the said land as still registered in the names of the deceased noting that whatever was done with the land titles and other documents concerning that land tantamounts to fraud and the culprits should be brought to book and prosecuted.
He enlightened that according to the lease agreement that the deceased signed with Kabaka Mutebi, it was covenanted under 2(c) of the lease agreement that the lesser or his successors in the title will not assign to subdivide, sublet, sell, mortgage or part with the possession of the whole land or any part of the premises without prior written consent of the lessor who is the Kabaka of Buganda.
Documents further read that Buganda Land Board received a letter from BMK’s son Haruna Kalule Kibirige claiming that it was written by his fallen father on 12\04\2021 but was delivered on 15th of March 2022, almost a year after being written requesting the Kabaka to transfer the subject property to his names which Buganda Land Board legal officer declined and instead advised not to execute the request.
Documents indicate that a few days later, Buganda Land Board also received a letter from Equity bank requesting for a consent to mortgage the said properties which the legal officer also declined to approve noting that the person that the Kabaka dealt with was already dead.
“ We have however been shocked after carrying out a search with the lands registry that the land comprising plot 46 Mulamula Road was transferred and mortgaged without the consent of the landlord as required by the law and by the lease agreement,” the documents read further.
They added that Buganda Land Board suspects that there was negligence, fraud and connivance that needs to be investigated in all responsible offices because it was done without the consent of the landlord.
Furthermore, they allege that the fraud may cause financial loss to the government of Uganda and financial institutions which dealt with the fraudster during the said transaction.
Kabogoza pleaded to the Commissioner Land Registration to cancel all the land titles registered on Kabaka’s land adding that the matter has been already brought before the attention of Court through the deputy registrar and executors of the deceased’s estate.
The developments come days after youth and children affairs Minister Balaam Bagaruhare, equity bank and Yako bank secured court orders to auction the deceased’s properties to recover the billions of shillings they borrowed to BMK’s son Kalule using the said properties as security.
Balaam claimed that Kalule borrowed Shs1.5bn from him after convincing him that he was going to return his money on time as agreed.
Kalule told Balaam that he was going to use the money to finish a Shs30bn deal he executed with the government to build public hospitals around the country.
Balaam asserts that when he started demanding for his money, President Museveni summoned him and advised him not to auction BMK’s children’s properties, assuring him that he was looking for alternatives on how to save their father’s multibillion estate.
“Those people are not transparent and they wanted to take my money fraudulently because as far as I know, the government paid them Shs4.5bn recently and it was deposited on their bank account but they refused to pay my money. So the only option available is for me to auction their properties and recover my money,” Balaam said.
As Balaam threatens to auction BMK’s properties, the family of the deceased led by Ali Muwanga Kibirige are fighting tooth and nail through their lawyers led by Derrick Bazzeketta to save their empire even though they suffered a setback recently when the Court of Appeal denied them an order stopping the auctioning of their father’s properties by the bank.
Yako bank through their lawyers led by former deputy Attorney General Mwesigwa Rukutana told court that there is nothing to stop them because the properties they were targeting to recover their money have already been sold to a third party who is not part of the suit.
However, Kabaka Mutebi insisted that whatever was done on BMK properties is illegal and he wants the land titles to be registered back in his name which is likely to result in another legal battle.
“ What you should know is that BMK was a close friend to Kabaka Mutebi and Buganda Kingdom top officials including premier Charles Peter Mayiga, so they cannot just look on as the empire of their friend perishes knowing very well that the son forged the father’s signature to fraudulently transferred the properties into his names,” a highly respected source in Buganda Kingdom told Top Secrets.
