Dennis Wakabi Zimba, the owner of the tractor that was recently set ablaze by Brig.Kasirye Gwanga, a presidential advisor has dragged him to the High Court seeking compensation for his property.
On August 12,the no nonsense soldier set ablaze the tractor that was found clearing land located at Lubowa,Naziba zone in Makindye Sssabagabo that he claims belongs to his sister. The tractor operator reportedly took off when he realized that the UPDF general had charged
Brig.Kasirye Gwanga would later boast of having done it so as to teach a lesson to other land grabbers in the country.
However, the owner of the tractor has filed a suit in which he seeks to be compensated for the damages caused when his property was destroyed beyond repair.
Through his lawyers from NEWMARK advocates,Zimba says he is the registered owner of the wheel tractor UAY 759T that had been hired by Andrew Muwonge and Kassim Sserugo who claimed to be the owners of the land that the tractor was supposed to grade in Makindye Ssabagabo.
“The tractor started grading but when it was parked awaiting refueling, the defendant(Brig.Kasirye Gwanga) came and set it ablaze maliciously and illegally,”Zimba says in his suit filled before the civil division of the High Court in Kampala.
“As a result of the malicious and illegal acts, the tractor was damaged beyond repair and as such it is no longer fit for purpose as per the designated usage.”
Kasirye Gwanga recently recorded a statement at Katwe police station over the matter and is awaiting criminal proceedings by court.
Zimba says that Gwanga never owned the piece of land on which the tractor was found but was just in the neighborhood.
“He went out to the media to brag about the impunity and malicious damage to my property while misrepresenting to the public that this was a case of land grabbing which he had to deal with in the manner that he did.”
The tractor owner however says he has lost huge sums of money since it was burnt considering the tractor was earning him shs500,000 per day for four days a week.
He argues that Brig.Kasirye Gwanga ought to compensate him with five hundred million shillings for the damages, interest and cost of the suit for burning his tractor.
Speaking about the incident recently, the then Kampala Metropolitan police spokesperson Emilian Kayima said grading the disputed land was as unacceptable as burning the tractor .
“…but saying that it was burnt by Kasirye Gwanga will be a rumor until we get evidence,”Kayima told journalists at the police headquarters in Naguru.
“The driver will tell us who hired him, as well as what happened,” Kayima added.
The police spokesperson Asan Kasingye however added that no one is above the law, stressing that Brig.Kasirye Gwanga too will have to record a statement.
“Burning the tractor was unlawful and whoever did it must face the law. If he (Kasirye Gwanga) is the one, we shall investigate him to find out what happened,”Kasingye added.
