UMSC wins a land case against Nateete community
The Mengo Chief Magistrate, Joanita Muwanika has dismissed with costs a suit filed by Nateete Twale Community limited against Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC).
"It is hereby ordered that civil suit No.10 of 2017 be dismissed with costs against the plaintiff (Nateete Twale Community ltd) for want of pecuniary jurisdiction and all earlier orders sought under miscellaneous applications no.16, 23, and 24 of 2017 that had maintained a status quo and proprietorship of land comprised in FRV KCCA 8 FOLIO 16 Block 18 Plot 12, Old Masaka Road have also been vacated," ruled the Chief Magistrate.
Ashiraf Zziwa,UMSC Spokesperson said that in 1997, a group of Muslim businesswomen led by former Finance Minister, Syda Bumba formed Prime Women, a private enterprise.
He explained that they identified a vacant piece of land in Nateete trading centre and later got information that it was part of the 10 acres of land belonging to UMSC.
They managed to establish contact with UMSC agents led by the late Sheikh Ali Kisitu Wadda, then Nateete county (Twale) head in the then Kampala Muslim district.
He noted that these people expressed their desire to set up a Joint venture to generate funds and proposed a taxi park project based on their feasibility studies.
According to Zziwa, Sheikh Kisitu brought the proposal to his superiors at the UMSC headquarters at Old Kampala.
"Prime Women indicated its readiness to inject money in the project if UMSC was ready to sublease them about 3 acres of the land for a specified time,"Zziwa noted.
He narrated that the investors would then share the proceeds with the council from the project after following the necessary procedures and approval of the project, the then UMSC Secretary-General, Dr. Edris Serugo Kasenene officially communicated to the investors allowing the sublease of the 3 acres out of the 10 acres of the land for the proposed project.
Unfortunately, the project did not take off because of concern raised by Rubaga divisional officials,instead of reporting back, the UMSC agents led by Kisitu and Prime Women Enterprise opted to rent out the land to vendors who decided to use it to sell construction materials such as sand and stones.
They went ahead to share the proceeds without remitting a single penny to UMSC in total disregard to its financial policies.
As a result,Zziwa said UMSC started pursuing the matter.
Due to pressure from UMSC for accountability, Kisitu and Nateete Twale executives announced their resignation in 2010 and shifted their allegiance to Kibuli.
They went ahead to register an association named as Nateete Twale community limited.
The fore said association without any express authority from UMSC, fraudulently transferred the three acres into their names and later vowed to fight UMSC over ownership of the said land.
As part of their strategy to win sympathy from Muslims, Zziwa noted that they hired mercenaries including prominent Sheikhs to plant discord and incite hatred towards the UMSC officials led by Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubaje, the Mufti of Uganda.
After realising that they couldn’t hold onto the land illegally, Nateete Twale Community limited officials decided to run to court to formalise their claim.
This week, they lost the case with costs.
