Muhamadi Kamoga, a well-known property broker in Kampala, is at the centre of a high-stakes legal drama involving a disputed 200-acre stretch of land in Garuga, Wakiso District. The case has all the elements of a modern legal thriller: big money, accusations of forgery, competing claims, and now, the full weight of the justice system bearing down.
For Kamoga, the latest blow came from the Supreme Court, which ruled that his criminal trial must go on. The decision comes after months of legal back-and-forth, as Kamoga sought to pause the case, arguing that it shouldn’t proceed while a related civil dispute over the same land is still being handled in the High Court.
But Justice Monica Mugenyi, delivering the Supreme Court’s ruling as a single judge, wasn’t persuaded. She dismissed Kamoga’s application for an interim order, saying there was no good reason to delay justice.
“The ends of justice are better served by the expeditious prosecution of the criminal case,” Justice Mugenyi said in her ruling.
At the heart of the matter is a massive chunk of land in Bukaya and Bugoba villages, located under Katabi Town Council, just outside Entebbe. The land is claimed by businessman Peter Bibangamba, who accuses Kamoga of fraudulently acquiring it through forged documents and deceitful means.
In September 2023, Kamoga was formally charged with forgery, uttering false documents, and obtaining land registration by false pretence. But just two months later, in November, the High Court temporarily stopped the criminal proceedings, citing the civil case as a potential source of legal conflict.
For a moment, it looked like Kamoga might avoid standing trial—at least for a while.
Uganda’s Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) wasn’t about to let the case slide. The DPP challenged the High Court’s decision in the Court of Appeal—and won. The court ruled that the High Court had misapplied the law by halting a criminal case based on a section that only governs civil matters.
Still, Kamoga wasn’t ready to give up. He appealed to the Supreme Court and asked for the trial to be frozen while he pursued a full appeal.
But Justice Mugenyi stood firm. She found that the High Court had overstepped its powers by trying to block a case that was clearly within the DPP’s domain. Unless there’s proof that a trial would be unfair or that the justice system is being misused, she explained, criminal proceedings should be allowed to go ahead.
“It has not been established before me that the applicant would not undergo a fair trial,” she wrote.
She also reassured the court that the civil and criminal cases can proceed independently—and that Kamoga will have his chance to tell his side of the story, including his claim that Bibangamba willingly signed the land transfer forms.
With the Supreme Court’s decision now in place, the Entebbe Chief Magistrate’s Court is expected to resume hearing the criminal case—potentially reigniting one of the most talked-about land disputes in Uganda.
Kamoga is being represented by lawyer Brian Kusingura Tindyebwa, while the state is represented by Chief State Attorney Happiness Ainebyoona.
For those watching from the sidelines, the case is more than just a legal battle between two men. It’s a test of how the justice system handles high-value land disputes in a country where land remains one of the most contested and emotionally charged resources.
As the courtroom drama continues, one thing is clear: the Supreme Court wants the truth to come out—not later, but now.
