Jemba Edward a business man based in Entebbe and the proprietor of Home and Away Furniture has accused a one Maurice Barigye an Engineer of plotting to grab his 1 acre piece of land located along plot 38 research Road, Nakiwogo-virus, Division A in Entebbe Municipality.
This follows after Jemba Edward claimed that Maurice Barigye hired over 30 yet to be identified people including three armed men who stormed the piece of land in the wee hours of Thursday morning at around 3am and they demolished his three bed-room house that he erected on the piece of land.
Jemba also claims that the armed men put his two siblings on gun point identified as Lubega Godfrey and Kasozi Samuel who have been residing in the house and they ordered them not to make any alarm or else they risk being shot dead. Both Lubega Godfrey and Kasozi Samuel complied with the armed men after they were rounded up and their mobile phones confiscated to stop them from alerting anyone that the house was being demolished.
After demolishing the house, the unidentified people who were directed by Maurice Barigye later vanished into thin air with no trace.
“Maurice Barigye took me to court after he accused me of criminal trespass because I had erected a house on the piece of Land. However when the resident State Attorney perused through the file, noticed that the complaint is a civil matter and decided to discard the file and told me not to vacate the piece of land. We have been having a series of meetings both with Maurice Barigye, Oscar Kihika (legal Director NRM) and Sandra Ndyomugyenyi to resolve the land dispute but it appears that Maurice Barigye is using Oscar Kihika and Sandra Ndyomugyenyi the State House Land Officer to intimidate and threaten me to abandon the piece of Land that me and my siblings inherited from our late father Kanwagi Edward in 1990 when he passed on”, Claimed Jemba Edward.
Jemba Edward added;
The last meeting we held that among others included Maurice Barigye, Oscar Kihika, Sandra Ndyomugyenyi, SSP Mutungi (Police Land Division Commandant), Nannyonga Grace (Ag. Physical Planner Entebbe Municipal Council), D/ASP Mwesigwa Onesmus, Jemba Edward, ASP Ndaula David (OC Station Entebe Police) was on Wednesday September 19, 2018 and was chaired by the DPC Entebbe. However we have since discovered that Maurice Barigye processed a fake title of the land (Kibanja). If Maurice Barigye claims we are illegally occupying the land, then he should take us to court instead of demolishing the house.
Meanwhile, according to some letters that Entebbenews has obtained indicate that Entebbe Municipal Council, Entebbe D/RDC office, Entebbe police and a one Kabwa Kaija who was a close friend of the late Edward Kanwagi and was present when the sales agreement of the disputed land was made in 1982 all carried out their investigations and clearly concurred through their respective letters that the Kibanja belonged to the Late Kanwagi Edward who passed away in 1990 and Edward Jemba is currently the Administrator.
According to a letter that was written by the Entebbe Municipal Council Ag. Physical Planner Nannyonga Grace on August 1, 2018 reads in part;
“The Stated property originally belonged to Sempogo Mutagubwa of Nakiwogo who in 1982 gave this land to his son Edward Kanwagi. Edward died in 1990 leaving behind a son Jemba Edward who holds letters of Administration for the Late Sempogo’s estates”.
In a letter that was written by the Entebbe Deputy RDC’s office on August 8, 2018 Reads In Part;
I invited both parties for a meeting on 8th August 2018 starting at 12.00hrs which both parties attended.
Mr. Oscar Kihika who came with Mr. Barigye Maurice walked out of the meeting without listening properly to the advice of the D/RDC Entebbe. Barigye presented only the land title on lease of seven years issued from January 1, 2001.
Mr. Jemba presented documents which included the following.
- i)Agreement showing purchase of Kibanja way back on April 1982.
- ii)Police report showing he had a Kibanja on plot 38 Research Road
iii) Letter from the Town Clerk Entebbe Municipal Council consenting a Kibanja Ownership of the Late Kanwagi Edward.
The Kampala Metropolitan (KMP) Spokesperson Luke Owesigyire confirmed that both Jemba Edward and Barigye Maurice have been fighting over the piece of land and added that Barigye Maurice will be charged with aggravated robbery after he demolished Jemba’s house.
“Both Jemba Edward and Barigye Maurice have been fighting over the piece of land and while Jemba has documents showing that he is the Kibanja owner, Barigye Maurice only has a land title claiming ownership of the same land. Barigye dragged Jemba to court over criminal trespass however the state Attorney advised police to discard the file saying it is a civil matter however Barigye wasn’t satisfied. He reported the matter to the Police Professional Standard Unit (PSU) and the file was recalled. Different Authorities have since advised Jemba Edward to remain on the Kibanja as the dispute is resolved.We are also investigating the incident that allegedly happened at 3am on Thursday after a one Lubega Godfrey and Kasozi Samuel were assaulted by unknown individuals who demolished the three bedroom house. We have charged Barigye Maurice with Aggravated robbery”, Owesigyire stated.
Meanwhile, Police arrested five people including a soldier and took them to Entebbe Police Station after they were found on the piece of land at 6am on Friday demolishing the house completely. Three other people vanished with no trace.
From one of the arrested culprit’s mobile phone, police has established that the culprits were communicating with Maurice Barigye throughout because his phone number was the last dialed number on the phone. After interrogating some culprits, police has also established that they are residents of Iganga district and were hired to do the dirty job of demolishing the house.
