By Spy Uganda
Indian investor Abid Alam, who has caused a lot of suffering for people in Kassanda and Mubende districts by grabbing their land and evicting them from their villages, is facing 27 criminal cases, among them multiple murders, gang rape, illegal eviction, to mention but a few.
Abid Alam, who is the proprietor of Alam Group of Companies, was arrested by Lt. Col. Edith Nakalema, who heads the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, on Wednesday, after several locals, among them area Member of Parliament Simeo Nsubuga, accused him of illegally grabbing their land, destroying their plantations and livestock farms, on top razing down their houses.
MP Nsubuga said during the recent attack at the home of a resident identified as Arthur Mugenyi, the assailants hacked Samuel Kyabale ,the cattle keeper of Mr Mugyenyi and gang-raped his wife as he and his children watched helplessly. They later attacked Mugenyi and his family too.
The State House Anti-Corruption Unit on Wednesday handed Abid Alam over to the Criminal investigations Department ( CID) for questioning into alleged crimes he and his men dcommitted last Saturday at Bukoba and Bukompe villages, Nalutuntu parish, Nalutuntu Sub-county in Kassanda, south constituency.
“I have directed that Abid Alam goes to police to record a statement on why his workers attacked Bukompe village in Kassanda village and destroyed property,” Nakalema reportedly said.
The no nonsense Nakalema added that previously, she was investigating issues related to land grabbing involving Abid Alam, but that now focus has been turned onto torture and violence.
“Abid has taken advantage of the lockdown to commit crimes but I am going to take him on. I am going to do everything possible to ensure the matter is investigated and culprits arraigned in court,” she added.
It should be noted that Abid Alam has for several years been involved in land wrangles in Mityana and Kassanda districts.
He came under the spotlight because of his alleged forceful eviction of more than 700 families from seven square miles of land in Nalutuntu Sub-County, in Mubende District a few years ago.
Abid Alam later got involved in another row with residents over a 12 square-mile land in the same area.
He was accused of atrocities including arbitrary arrests, torture and detentions of occupants over a five square mile land which has Bukoba, Kika, Kakungube and Bukompe villages in Nalutuntu Sub-County, Kassanda South in which was then Mubende District.
However, Abid Alam commits all these atrocities with impunity, since he is said to have the backup of the area Resident District Commissioner, NRM District Chairman Hussein Kavuma, District Police Commanders (DPCs) and District Internal Security Officers(DISOs), who often accompany him or provide security to his rapist employees.
Some of the complainants, among them Kassanda South Member of Parliament, Simeo Nsubuga, allege that Abid Alam operates illegal detention centres where many victims are often held incommunicado and tortured.
Although Abid Alam was a few years ago arrested on the orders of the Commission of Inquiry into Land Matters headed by Lady Justice Catherine Bamugemereire, he was later released on bond and since then he has resumed his mass evictions and torture of helpless Ugandans.
But despite the atrocities Abid Alam and his ruthless hooligans have committed unto Ugandans, they are often released whenever the police in the area arrests them because of allegedly wetting the beaks of security officials.
It is for that reason that MP Nsubuga and other affected locals petitioned State House to intervene in the matter, which prompted Col. Nakalema to immediately start investigating the same, with intent to bring Abid Alam and all his goons to book.
Truth Behind The Abid Alam Saga
For years, Kassanda has been having land controversies between Asian Investor Abid Alam and thousands of residents, who put it to him that he commanded the burning of their homes and many got injured in a move to evict them.
The said land in Bukoba village, Nalutuntu Sub-county in now Kassanda district.
This land conflict between the natives and the investor started in 2006 when over one thousand people were evicted from a five square miles’ piece of land and it was given to Abid for allegedly sugarcane growing.
Sometime back, the Justice Catherine Bamugemereire Land Commission visited Kassanda and Abid gave it proof that he owns this land.
However, he talked about giving away part of his land to the people to be resettled. Insiders say, there was later a deal between Nusubuga and Hussein Kavuma, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) District Chairperson, who were then good friends; they reportedly approached Abid and asked him to instead give them pieces of land to put all the matters to rest.
It is said Abid okayed the deal but as time went on, he turned against Nsubuga, saying, he was behind bringing people to illegally occupy his land, so he couldn’t again be duped into giving him land.
Sources say Abid Alam instead chose to work with Kavuma, something which annoyed the MP and that was the genesis of war between the two NRM leaders.
The Alam Group of Companies, commonly referred to as the Alam Group is a privately owned conglomerate in Uganda. The group has business interests in Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda. Manzur Alam is the chairman and Abid Alam is the Group Managing Director
