Saddam Kavuma, a city businessman and real estate developer is breathing behind bars at Entebbe Police Station after he was arrested on Monday over encroaching on the Kyewaga forest reserve land located in Nkumba- Kisembi zone in Katabi Town Council, Wakiso District. Armed with certificate of title Busiro Block 447, Plot 286 that he acquired in 2012 at the Wakiso Land Registry offices, Saddam Kavuma who was in company of his lawyer Katongole Muhammad stormed the 12 ares piece of land on Monday that he claims he legally purchased from Makindye East Member of Parliament Hon. Ibrahim Kasozi in February 2017 at Shs450million and was erecting an iron sheet store together with his workers on the piece of land when he was arrested by a one Corporal Francis Mwisyomo attached to the environment Police Protection Unit.
According to Saddam Kavuma he claimed that he carried out a search and due diligence at the Wakiso Land registry offices and ascertained that the land clearly belonged to Hon. Ibrahim Kasozi who acquired it from a one Gilbert Tayebwa and subsequently went ahead and purchased the land and Hon. Ibrahim Kasozi transferred all the Land documents including the title to him.
Saddam Kavuma who asserted that he bought the land to develop it into a housing estate center accused National Forestry Authority (NFA) of fraudulently fronting
Inta-Build East Africa Company Limited, a real estate company to acquire the same piece of land.
Saddam Kavuma through Magna Advocates petitioned President Yoweri Museveni on June 23, 2017 seeking intervention into the controversial matter and the letter was received by State House Directorate of Land Matters, Edward Ochieng Sunday.
In his response, Edward Ochieng Sunday on behalf of State House Directorate of Land Matters wrote to Inta-Build Company Limited on June 26, 2017 inviting them for a meeting to present their side of the story. The letter was also copied to Deputy RDC Entebbe Municipality Rose Kirabira, Entebbe Division Police Commander Godfrey Ninsiima and the Abaita Ababiiri OC Station Eseza Nabutono who Saddam Kavuma accused of conniving with Inta-build’s Kiggundu to intimidate and threaten him to back off the piece of Land.
According to Saddam Kavuma, Inta-Build didn’t provide any valid document claiming ownership of the piece of land during the meeting. Kavuma indicated that Inta-build claimed that the piece of Land was allocated to them by President Museveni to develop it into satellite city. When contacted, Inta-build’s Kiggundu deliberately refused to comment on the matter.
However, we have also established that the same forest reserve was also allocated to several individuals including a one Aaron Kabirizi by National Forestry Authority (NFA) which gave them licenses to plant trees for commercial purposes.
Charles Ojandu, the National Forestry Authority (NFA) Kyewaga forest reserve supervisor clearly stated that all the titles that were issued within the Kyewaga forest reserve under Busiro Block 447 were cancelled by the Wakiso District Council Land Office.
A letter headed: (CANCELLATION OF CERTIFICATE OF TITLES ISSUED WITHIN KYEWAGA FOREST RESERVE (BUSIRO BLOCK 447) reads in part;
“A review of all pending and processed applications was subsequently conducted by the district Land Board and it was indeed revealed that a number of applications had been erroneously processed and accompanying titles issued. A good number was equally pending at the different stages that inform the process of title issuance. All such pending applications have hence forth been expunged and the relevant departments advised to refrain from processing them”
“Wakiso Land office cancelled a total of 101 plots from plot 199 to plot 351 including Saddam Kavuma’s plot 286 under Busiro block 447 because they were erroneously acquired. If he claims that his plot wasn’t cancelled then he should provide a certificate of clearance from NFA. Regarding Inta-build, they haven’t acquired any piece of land in the forest reserve; they only expressed their interest to set up an eco-tourism center and nothing whatsoever has been concluded. There are different individuals who were given licenses to plant trees in the forest reserve for commercial purposes. They haven’t acquired the land and they pay fees (rent) to NFA for using the forest reserve”, Charles Ojandu, Kyewaga Forest supervisor stated.
