By Dean Lubowa Saava
TV10GanoMazima
Investigative File
A dramatic turn of events has unfolded in Uganda, where President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has stepped into a heated controversy surrounding the Commissioner for Land Registration, Baker Mugaino.
The President’s intervention came after he questioned the legality of Lands Minister Judith Nabakooba’s decision to interdict Mugaino, which Museveni deemed an affront to his authority as the appointing authority.
In a strongly worded letter, Museveni ordered the immediate lifting of Mugaino’s interdiction, asserting that the action was not only illegal but also undermined his role in the appointment process.
The President’s directive has added a new layer of complexity to the ongoing saga, raising questions about the limits of ministerial power and the role of the presidency in such matters.
Recently, Mugaino appeared before the Anti-Corruption Court’s Chief Magistrate, Nakyazze Rachael, facing charges of abuse of office and corruption, which many consider baseless. The charges stemmed from allegations made by the Inspector General of Government (IGG), Hon. Beti Olive Namisango Kamya Turomwe, who claimed that Mugaino arbitrarily cancelled certificates of title issued to Tropical Bank, Gerald Akugizibwe, and Namayiba Park Hotel between April 8th and 25th, 2025. Following his arraignment, Mugaino was remanded to Luzira Prisons.
The disputed land is located in Kisenyi and comprises Kibuga Block 12, Plots 658, 659, and 665. On top of abuse of office charges, Kamya also accused Mugaino of corruption. She insisted that Mugaino’s alleged actions undermined the integrity of the land registration process and caused immense suffering to innocent landowners, hence convincing the Director for Public Prosecution to sanction the file.
His arrest had followed summons to the IGG’s office, supposedly for an additional statement recording in respect of earlier charges. Upon his arrival at the IGG’s office, detectives, in the company of journalists armed with cameras, awaited him.
He was henceforth dragged to Buganda Road Court, where the Magistrate read him the charges. He, of course, pleaded not guilty before the Chief Magistrate sent him on remand for the night as she would entertain his bail application the following day.
Word had gone around that efforts were being made to have Mugaino denied bail by discouraging any of his sureties. However, big names like former Finance Minister Mzee Gerald Ssendawula and City Tycoons Mandela and Omar rushed to his rescue.
“My son can live without this job. Stop playing around, you woman,” the visibly pissed Mandela is said to have sounded on his cellular phone, whose recipient many around believed was Beti Kamya.
Again, at Court, Mzee Ssendawula was heard complaining how his daughter (Kamya) had disappointed him. This implies that the two senior citizens had earlier tried to privately talk to IGG Beti Kamya but in vain.
It has always been in our reports how Kamya was helping herself and others at the Lands Ministry to fight the person of Mugaino for selfish ends. Indeed, that Kamya ignored Mzee Ssendawula and Mandela’s pleas in Mugaino’s favor left no room to doubt suppositions that she’s working for other forces away from her office.
Even with Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka’s advice to Lands Ministry PS Dorcas W. Okalany to abide by the court order to reverse and set aside Mugaino’s interdiction, and the same Kamya was privy to, she proceeded to arrest the man on “fresh” charges.
The Flashback of How this Matter came Into Play.
For starters, on April 24th, 2025, the IGG’s detectives raided Mugaino’s office in search of any evidence related to the charges they had predetermined against him. The following day, she directed Ms. Dorcas Okalany to interdict Mugaino.
Her instructions, she said, stemmed from the seizure operation at Mugaino’s office, “during which key documents were confiscated.” She accused the Commissioner of supposedly authorizing the replacement of authentic certificates of titles with fake special ones, lifting caveats arbitrarily, creating overlapping titles, and issuing freehold titles to foreigners.
It later came to light after Mugaino’s chargesheet had been unveiled that Kamya could actually be helping to drive city businessman John Bosco Muwonge’s interests.
In the “fresh” charges, Mugaino was accused of having cancelled titles of Tropical Bank Limited, one Akugizibwe Gerald Mugera, and Namayiba Park Hotel, which his office had earlier issued to them.
True, Mugaino had issued the said titles but cancelled the same immediately he learnt of two old files touching the said land and with court orders to have the status quo left on them. One would be excused to assume that actually, Kamya was accusing Mugaino of doing the right and for saving the government from unnecessary compensations, just in case the offended parties went for contempt of court against him.
Gen. Museveni Roars
Like we have always reported, all this was being conducted on an official of a presidential appointee status, without the knowledge and consent of the appointing authority. And this, President Museveni, the appointing authority himself, rose to prove us utter right! This development, via a hitherto hidden letter he penned to the senior Lands Minister, Hon. Judith Nabakooba, way back on May 24th 2025.
“I am concerned about the persistent inefficiencies, fraud and mismanagement, particularly in the land information system, which has cost the government over 140 million dollars, yet double titling, tax evasion, and fraudulent transactions are still pervasive”, Museveni bitterly wrote, adding that it’s the lands ministry that is responsible for such shortcomings which undermine the country’s progress.
In the one-and-a-half-page, Gen. Museveni further ranted; “In my earlier directive to you and the Permanent secretary, copied to the Commissioner Land Registration, I directed that the digitization be completed to mitigate the failings through the block chain technology. I understand the Commissioner Land Registration has been trying to implement the same as per my guidance, albeit with frustration from self-seekers.
General Museveni, who had just received the news of Mugaino interdiction, thanks to our persistent reports on the matter, roared; “I have now been informed that the Commissioner Land registration, who is implementing this (block chain) solution, has been removed from office on unspecified grounds, apparently acting on the directives of the IGG. How convenient!
The President now questioned where the minister derived the powers to touch the anointed ones! “Do you have the authority to interdict such an officer (a Presidential appointee) without my involvement? Why was I not consulted prior to this action being taken?” He now gave a directive thus; “This is, therefore, to direct that, you immediately lift that interdiction and address the fraud and inefficiency in the Ministry as I directed you [earlier]”
The President wound his missive by asking the Minister never to touch his anointed one; “If there are matters for investigation requiring removal of Mugaino, these must be raised by the investigating entity with me as the appointing authority.” The letter, which has since been shoved below the carpet, hence puts the IGG’s position on the matter in a dire quagmire.
The UGX370BN Land Deal
Around January 2023, Kampala City Mayor Elias Lukwago whistle-blew a dubious land deal where, government had earmarked over USD100M, to purchase 10 acres of land from John Bosco Muwonge, supposedly to resettle street vendors. He wondered how an acre of land in the shoddy Kisenyi could be purchased at USD10M (approximately UGX37Bn)? “This is obscene,” he said at the time.
As expected, Mayor Lukwago was ignored by the cartel and proceeded with the deal, only the same to be saved by a wrangle erupting over the ownership of the same land. Following the new development, the finance minister Matia Kasaija intervened and stopped the process. In a January 19th 2023 letter to the Executive Director of KCCA, then Dorothy Kisaka, Kasaija said negotiations to pay for the land would not make progress unless the land wrangles had been resolved.
It has since come to light that the biggest part of the contested land is actually the same Muwonge wanted to sell to government at the exorbitant USD10M. The fact that the process had been halted over ownership wrangles, and now Mugaino had eventually issued the titles to Muwonge through Namayiba Park Hotel, all the cartel members had had their hope restored. But their celebrations didn’t stay longer as the same Mugaino cancelled the same titles upon learning of other pending cases over the contested pieces of land.
That the same cartel could be the force behind the person of the IGG Beti Kamya is a debatable matter. As Mugaino awaits to answer to his Court Bail on June 25th 2025, we get down to dig who is who and for what reason, in the entire saga.
How Beti Kamya Accidentally Became IGG
Around July 2020, Lady Justice Irene Kakooza Mulyagonja’s term as IGG expired, leaving Mariam Wangadya as the only Deputy. At about the same time, her contract was expiring. She reached out to Minister Milly Babalanda, the Minister for Presidency, asking her to remind the President. Indeed, when Babalanda got a chance, she informed the President of the pending crisis at the IGG’s office.
She passed on Wangadya’s contact which the President called the next day. Wangadya confirmed that the office would be with no substantial administrator upon the expiry of her contract as Deputy.
The following day, the President called her and informed her how he had made her a full IGG. He advised her to prepare for the vetting at Parliament at the appropriate time. In the same interaction, Museveni tipped Wangadya on how he had also appointed Kamya the Chairperson of Human Rights Commission.
On this point, Wangadya found it “prudent” to advise the president. “But Your Excellence,” she stammered… “the position of the Chairperson requires someone with qualifications of a High Court Judge, which Hon. Betty Kamya doesn’t have.” The President posed, probably wondering where Wangadya had gathered courage to fault him.
“Oh ok. So, do you have such qualifications,” the President eventually asked, to which Wangadya replied in affirmative. The President again asked for which qualifications were required for the IGG and Wangadya said, only a lawyer.
That’s how she was switched to become the Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission. This is a mistake Wangadya has ever done and will regret for the rest of her life. A mistake of giving unsolicited advice to the Master.
