Kungfu Investors: Chinese Spill Blood in Ruthless Quest for Business Control

By NBS Investigates
Uganda has long been a welcoming hub for Chinese investors, offering them incentives like land, personal security, and numerous business privileges.
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However, a darker side to these investments has surfaced, as some criminally-minded Chinese nationals engage in violent acts, challenging Uganda’s laws with alarming impunity.
This is the grim story of the Tian Tang Investment saga.
On the night of September 18, 2024, 62-year-old Liu Qingshang and his son, 32-year-old Liu Hanbin, were brutally attacked in their home in Namanve.
The two, owners of NEC-WATU Automobile Group in Mbale, were assaulted by fellow Chinese nationals allegedly connected to the Tian Tang Group, a prominent industrial player in Uganda.
Then Police spokesperson Fred Enanga confirmed the involvement of Tian Tang Group employees in the attack, stating, "The assailants assaulted the victims, vandalised their property, and made off with two phones, a laptop, and a desktop computer."
Both victims received medical treatment under police protection.
NBS Investigates secured an exclusive interview with the victims as they recovered, giving them a platform to share the horrific events of that fateful night.
Recounting the Horror
Liu Qingshang recalls, "When I heard strange noises outside and opened the door, I found it had been forcefully opened. Three men rushed toward me, yelling, ‘That’s Liu Qingshang, catch him!’ They grabbed me by the neck and forced me downstairs."
The assailants, armed with golf bats, iron bars, and hammers, showed no mercy. Qingshang suffered a shattered backbone and a broken finger, while his son, Hanbin, sustained severe head injuries.
"My head kept bleeding, and my blood pressure dropped dangerously low. I wasn’t just in physical pain; I feared for my life. They are destroying me, not just physically but mentally," said Hanbin.
Their lives were saved by the swift intervention of security forces, but the psychological scars will remain for years.
An Exclusive CCTV Footage
NBS Investigates has obtained crucial CCTV footage detailing the events leading up to the attack. On the evening of September 17, 2024, at 9:37pm, traffic cameras at Kololo captured a convoy of vehicles driving with hazardous lights.
One of the key vehicles, a white Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, crossed Kololo traffic lights and continued onto Impala Avenue.
Over the next several minutes, a grey RAV4, another Prado, and a black Alphard followed the same route.
All these vehicles were later linked to Tian Tang Group staff, and the footage shows them speeding through various traffic junctions on their way to the victims’ residence in Namanve Industrial Park.
By 11:16pm, the convoy arrived at the apartment where the attack took place. Armed and prepared, the attackers carried out their violent mission with chilling precision.
Identifying the Vehicles and Suspects
NBS Investigates has identified the vehicles involved, all registered to the Tangshan Mbale Industrial Park, a subsidiary of Tian Tang Group:
- - Toyota Land Cruiser Prado (UBF 588F)
- - RAV4 (UBQ 028T)
- - Land Cruiser Prado (UBF 104K)
- - Alphard (UBP 988Y)
The attackers are believed to be part of a larger criminal network within Tian Tang Group, a company embroiled in a bitter business dispute with NEC-WATU.
The leader of Tian Tang, Zhang Zhigang, has been pointed out by Liu as the mastermind behind the attack.
"I have no conflict with the attackers themselves, but with their boss, John Zhang. It’s very clear who orchestrated this," Qingshang stated.
The attack is rooted in a long-standing business conflict between Zhang Zhigang and Liu Qingshang.
In 2019, the two parties entered into a cooperation agreement to develop the Mbale Industrial Park, with Zhang contributing land and facilities while Liu held a majority stake in NEC-WATU.
However, tensions escalated when Zhigang allegedly began selling off the government-leased land at exorbitant prices to other Chinese investors.
This sparked off a major conflict between the business partners, leading to calls for a split.
Liu, who had previously agreed to pay $40,000 per acre for the land, felt betrayed by Zhang’s actions.
Tian Tang Group accused Liu of fraud, claiming he formed NEC-WATU to compete with Automobile Group (U) Ltd., transferred assets, and excluded other shareholders from the business.
These accusations led to a state-led mediation, but the dispute boiled over into violence.
Tian Tang Group’s Response
In a statement following the attack, Tian Tang Group acknowledged that the perpetrators were its employees.
The group expressed regret but claimed the assault was the result of excessive alcohol consumption following a company festival at Nanjing Hotel.
"We regret the incident. Our staff were intoxicated and a fight ensued between them and Mr Liu and his son. We do not condone violence," read the statement.
The group also extended an olive branch, offering to relinquish part of the contested land and settle the dispute amicably.
However, they also requested the release of their directors, who had been arrested and charged with attempted murder, and for Liu to withdraw his court case.
A Call for Justice
Despite Tian Tang’s efforts to resolve the issue diplomatically, the attack on Liu and Hanbin has sparked off a public outcry.
Many are questioning whether Chinese investors in Uganda are operating above the law, using their influence to bypass the justice system.
"The law is clear: any accessory to murder commits a felony and can face up to seven years in prison. This case must be a test of Uganda’s rule of law, not its willingness to bend for foreign investors," said an unnamed legal expert.
As the saga unfolds, the nation watches closely. Will justice prevail, or will powerful investors evade accountability?
This is NBS Investigates. Stay tuned for further developments in this explosive case.