The Kiboga Chief Magistrates Court has convicted and sentenced Ronald Ainebyona to one and a half years in prison or a fine of Shs3.5 million after finding him guilty of forcible entry, malicious damage to property, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Court heard that Ainebyona was arrested on March 14, 2025, at Lwakonge Village in Kiboga District after he forcefully seized land comprised in Block 542, Plot 2, and violently evicted several occupants.
During the incident, plantations were destroyed and some residents were physically assaulted.
The prosecution told court that the accused unlawfully entered the disputed land and used violence to remove occupants, actions that triggered investigations into the criminal aspects of the matter.
According to the State House Anti-Corruption Unit spokesperson, Mariam Natasha, the case drew the attention of the unit following a directive from President Museveni to the head of the unit, Brig Gen Henry Isoke, to investigate criminal elements surrounding the contested land.
Other institutions, including the Ministry of Lands, the Inspector General of Police, and the Director of Public Prosecutions, were tasked to ensure due process was followed.
“The directive was clear: investigate the criminal conduct and ensure the law takes its course. Matters of land ownership must be resolved through lawful procedures, not violence,” Natasha told Nile Post on Friday.
The land dispute involves a group of departed Asians who hold a freehold title dating back to 1932 and Mwanje Badru, who reportedly acquired a mailo title for the same land in 1999.
The overlapping claims have fueled prolonged tension among the parties.
Court was told that Ainebyona claimed he was acting on behalf of the departed Asians when he carried out the eviction of Mwanje and other residents.
Authorities said investigations into the wider land ownership dispute are still ongoing but emphasized that criminal acts committed in the course of land wrangles will be handled firmly under the law.
