A senior official at Uganda’s Ministry of Lands has been charged with Abuse of Office, Forgery, and fraudulent procurement of a certificate of title in a scandal involving the attempted illegal takeover of land owned by the Madhvani Group in Gomba District.
Jasper Kakooza, the acting commissioner for mapping and surveys, was arraigned before the Anti-Corruption Court alongside nine other suspects in connection with the fraudulent creation of overlapping land titles on Madhvani Group's estate — land legally registered since 1955 under Freehold Register Volume 60 Folio 4.
The suspects include government officials, district leaders, and civilians: Bassajjangabo Hakim, a Senior Assistant Secretary in Kabulasooke; and Andrew Sserunkuma Siwuliliza, LC1 chairperson of Mpogo Village.
Others are Gladys Nakanwagi and Hajj Badru Ismail Kayongo, former officials of the Gomba District Land Board; businessman Allan Katakanya Nuwahereza; and four others including security guards, a casual labourer, and a boda boda rider.
The group faces a string of charges including abuse of office, forgery, forcible entry, forcible detainer, destruction of growing plants, and conspiracy to commit misdemeanours and felonies.
They have all been remanded until April 30, 2025.
Investigators from the State House Anti-Corruption Unit (Shacu), working with the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), revealed that the suspects used a sham boundary opening exercise in 2024 to seize over 600 acres in Musongole village, Mpenja subcounty.
During the illegal occupation, they reportedly destroyed tea plantations and over 540 acres of natural forest.
Arrest warrants have also been issued for Deputy RDC Gomba Sitenda Nicodemus Mugalu, physical planner Mugenyi Vicent, and businessman Fred Kirenga, who are accused of participating in the fraudulent scheme but remain at large.
The Madhvani Group, a cornerstone of Uganda’s economy with interests spanning sugar, hospitality, construction, and more, acquired the Gomba land nearly 70 years ago as part of its national expansion strategy.
The illegal encroachment on their property has sparked outrage, highlighting the scale of land fraud orchestrated by influential networks within public institutions.
Kakooza’s arrest is being hailed as a major breakthrough in the fight against institutional corruption, with Shacu officials promising deeper investigations into land-related fraud schemes across the country.
Tomorrow’s court proceedings are expected to attract widespread attention, as the nation watches how the justice system handles a case that strikes at the heart of Uganda’s land governance crisis.
