By Spy Uganda
Tooro Kingdom’s lands and Housing minister Polly Kateeba has for the first time come out to clarify on why they decided to take the law into their hands and grabbed two plots of land; 30 & 31 on block 72, near Karuzika palace at Harukoto, in Fort Portal town, belonging to businessman Allan Kagoro Bright, a duo citizen of UK based Ugandan. It’s said the kingdom used the chance of Allan’s absentia most of the time being away in the UK where he relocated with his family and only returned afew months ago to check on his properties including the land in question.
During a hot chat exchange via phone call today, the fire-spitting Tooro lands minister Polly Kateeba first warned this reporter for allegedly ‘tarnishing’ their ‘good’ names (Omukama Oyo and Kateeba) by branding them land grabbers.
But trust this reporter on setting records straight, because he tasked him to explain what he would call a situation where High court has ruled over a land case in favour of one party, but in a twist of events, the same land is taken by the side that lost the case.
Minister Kateeba didn’t waste time; he simply went gaagaa…; “My friend, which courts are you talking about? Ugandan courts are just quagmire, no justice can be served in Ugandan courts, so when talking, understand that fact first,” he submitted.
The tough-talking King Oyo’s right-hand man, however, added that although they’re aware of Allan’s court ruling which he goes swinging around, it won’t give his King sleepless nights because they’re in possession of the said land and it’s being fenced along with the rest of the palace land at Harukoto, he said.
“Let him go on swinging his Court ruling, but we have the land. And by the way, when I read your malicious story yesterday I ordered for his file, it’s now being discussed in the land board of the kingdom. I don’t know the recommendations as of now, but that’s not an issue,” Kateeba bragged.
When this reporter contacted the prime Minister of Tooro Kingdom Owek. Bernad Tungwako via phone, he technically distanced himself from the whole saga.
“My friend, I don’t know about that matter, all I know is that some people have for long been encroaching on Palace land and we’ve since spoken to them about our plan to fence off the whole palace and that those affected would be compensated soon; their files are being worked on. If that person is not among them he should maybe bring his issue to us and we see what to do because all these are King’s subjects,” he said.
We broke this story on this website yesterday that Allan Kagoro accused Omukama Oyo of forcefully grabbing his land comprised in Block 72, Plots 31 and 32 at Harukoto, near the Karuziika palace, which the monarch wants to enclose in a perimeter wall being built and manned by UPDF engineering department.
Kagoro, a Ugandan holding British citizenship, accuses King Oyo and his Lands minister Polly Kateeba of connivance to grab his two plots of land which neighbour with the Karuzika palace Harukoto, in Fort Portal town.
He claims the Kingdom grabbed his land even after a High Court Judgement in 2015 declared him as the lawful owner of the land under contention.
It should be noted that in 2012 Omukama Oyo, under whose instructions the kingdom administration was working, tried to grab the said land but Kagoro dragged them to court vide case file number Civil Suit LD No. 27 of 2012 and won the case.
The judgement of the case which declared Kagoro as the rightful owner of the land was passed in absentia of Omukama Oyo and his lawyers because they refused to attend all court hearings, and the cased was ruled over by the presiding Grade One magistrate Philip Oji.
Omukama Oyo later appealed Magistrate Oji’s ruling at the Fort Portal High Court but lost it still. He didn’t only lose the case, but High Court also tasked him and his kingdom administrators to pay Kagoro and his lawyers’ legal costs for wasting Court’s time and that of the respondents.
This website understands that the duo failed to comply with the High Court order in time, which prompted Kagoro to contract bailiffs who attached a Kingdom building, auctioned it off and recovered their costs.
Genesis Of The Conflict
Now Five years later, just last week, Kagoro got the shock of his life, ALMOST JUMPING OUT OF HIS OWN SKIN, when he went to routinely check on his land only to find a team of Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) Engineering department digging a foundation with the intent to construct a perimeter wall to enclose it inside the palace as part of the Karuziika land!
“I went to my land and found out that the site is being manned and constructed by UPDF, they’ve surrounded the whole place not allowing anybody entry there, they’re busy enclosing my two plots alongside, can you imagine?” Kagoro told this reporter via phone call on Saturday.
Notice Of Intention To Evict Omukama Oyo From The Land
Kagoro immediately instructed his lawyers of Ngamije Law Consultants and advocates to notify Omukama Oyo, UPDF leadership, RDC Kabarole and other relevant local authorities about the matter, which are yet to respond. However, the construction was still going by the time we filed this report.
Kagoro’s lawyers have since written notice of eviction and an intention to sue addressed to Omukama Oyo, dated March 9, 2020, which reads in part thus;
ILLEGAL INCLUSION OF OUR CLIENT’S LAND INTO YOUR WALL FENCE
We act for and on behalf of Allan Bright Kagoro, who has instructed us to address you as hereunder; That our client is the lawful owner of land comprised in Block 72, Plots 30 and 31 at Harukoto, Fort Portal Municipality, Kabarole district, having inherited the same from his father the Later Christopher Kawaya, who had acquired it from Fort Portal Municipal Council in 1984.
The land is on the road below the palace and on it is a foundation for our Client’s house. That in or around 2012 you through several of your agents trespassed on our Client’s land as a result of which he instituted a suit against you vide Civil Suit LD No. 27 of 2012 wherein he was declared to be the lawful owner and execution of the said judgement was done in 2016.
That from that you have made several applications challenging the judgement all of which have been dismissed but you have stubbornly obstructed our client from occupying his land and have now dug a foundation for the construction of a perimeter wall fence around our Client’s Land without his consent.
Take Notice that we have instructions from our Client to forcefully evict you and we shall proceed with the said eviction unless you with immediate effect stop your unlawful actions on our Client’s land.”
This investigative on-line newspaper has been made to understand independently that the perimeter wall is being constructed by UPDF’s department of Engineers on the orders of President Yoweri Museveni as part of the offer he contributed recently when Oyo and Queen mother visited him towards Oyo’s preparations to host World’s Kings’ Summit he is to host at his Palace in Fort Portal this September 2020.
It is said that President Museveni also gave them yet to be disclosed huge amounts of money to prepare for the event, which is apparently now being used to torment the communities in the kingdom.
However, when contacted about the matter, UPDF Deputy Spokesperson Lt. Col. Deo Akiiki said that he was not aware of the wrangles, because UPDF cannot be part of any land wrangles. He thus advised Kagoro to address his grievances through the right channels.
