Ham Kiggundu makes U-turn on Kigo land: "It is mine, not Kabaka’s"

Kiham Enterprises Uganda Limited, a company partly owned by city businessman Ham Kiggundu has insisted that it still legally owns the 140-acre Kigo land that has been under contention between Buganda Kingdom and the company.

This comes almost two months after Kiggundu publicly declared that he had given up on the land to avoid confrontation with the Kabaka of Buganda.

The land in question is located on Block 273 Plots 23974, 23975, 23976 and 23977 and is situated between Serena Kigo and Mirembe Villas.

Following Kiggundu's earlier declaration, Buganda through attorneys K&K Advocates and Sebalu Lule Advocates had filed an application before the Commissioner, Land Registration John Karuhanga seeking to have the tycoon’s all title lands on the land cancelled.

Consequently, in a notice dated April 24, Karuhanga wrote to Kiham asking the company to handle the issue as applied by Buganda.

To many’s surprise, Kiggundu who had earlier given up on the land, represented by lawyers from Muwema & Co. Advocates, declined the application by Buganda and insisted that the land still belongs to his company.

Kiggundu's lawyers say that whereas their client had received the commissioner’s notice, it was not accompanied with a copy of complaint and survey report which they require to support their comprehensive objection.

They also denied the denied allegations that their client had illegally obtained the land by creating freehold titles on the existing mailo land titles as alleged by Buganda in its application.

"Our client categorically denies the allegations conveyed in the said notice in particular, that its subject freehold land titles were created over the complainant’s earlier existing Mailo land titles," read in part Muwema’s statement dated April 27, 2022.

The statement added: "Our client takes strong exception to the said unfounded allegations which are lacking in factual and legal basis."

Further, Kiggundu’s side asked the commissioner, Land Registration to avail them with a copy of the complaint and survey report so that they can oblige timely action on the matter.

It should be remembered that in March, Kiggundu said that since Buganda Land Board had insisted that the land belonged to Kabaka, he had abandoned it to preserve his respect for the king.

“Effective today, I have abandoned the land despite having acquired it in the right procedures. I leave it to the Kingdom in good faith and you will never hear me again contest for it. I have abandoned the land to preserve my respect as a Muganda,” he said in March.

However, the latest developments are likely to hurt the relationship between the tycoon and Kabaka.