KAMULI — A Senior Commissioner of Police has come under scrutiny amid allegations of land grabbing involving a disputed parcel of land in Mawembe Zone, Kagumba Sub-county, Kamuli District.
Mr Timothy Halango, who previously served as a member of the Police Standby Disciplinary Tribunal and currently serves as Deputy Director of the Directorate of Welfare, Production and Sports as well as Chairman of Police FC, has been accused by residents and family members of attempting to displace occupants from the land under the guise of legally purchasing it.
The accusations were raised by local residents who identify themselves as sitting tenants, together with members of the family of the late Philip Oboi, the original owner of the land. They allege that crop gardens have been destroyed and that disputed land sale agreements were used to facilitate the acquisition of the property.
One resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed that Mr Halango initially occupied the land as a tenant engaged in sugarcane cultivation on a 66-acre parcel.
The resident further alleged that the police officer later colluded with an LCII chairperson to produce a fraudulent land sale agreement purportedly dated 2019.
“The land sales agreement was deceitfully made by him and the Chairperson of LCII. It beats our understanding that the document bears a stamp dated in 2019, despite the fact that official stamps from government were issued in 2022. This is theft by trick which is unacceptable,” the resident said.
The resident further alleged that some of the witnesses listed on the disputed agreement had died before the death of Mr Oboi.
Tensions escalated when residents and local leaders reportedly stopped Mr Halango from ploughing the contested land using a tractor.
Appearing before Kamuli Deputy Resident District Commissioner Adonia Muguwa, Mr Halango rejected the allegations and defended the transactions.
He said he had initially rented land from the late Philip Oboi and later purchased portions of it through agreements reached with Oboi and members of his family.
“I do not have the locus to resolve family disputes but the one who rented the land to me is the same person who sold me the initial 45 acres,” Mr Halango said.
He added that he purchased the land in separate transactions involving both the deceased and his sons.
“When Mr. Oboi passed away, his sons, accompanied by the individuals with whom I was dealing, requested an additional 5 million shillings to cover burial expenses, with a promise of land in return,” he stated.
According to Mr Halango, he acquired 56.6 acres out of the 60.6 acres he had initially rented.
The police officer said he purchased the land at Shs1.6 million per acre, leaving the family with approximately 10.6 acres.
Justine Mpindi, the district female councillor representing Kagumba Sub-county, said the dispute had persisted for a long time and called on authorities to intervene before the situation deteriorates further.
“During the burial ceremony for Mzee Oboi, his children publicly said that their father had rented land to him for six years since 2019 but there remains curiosity regarding how a deceased person could seemingly return to sell him land once more,” she said.
Bernard Kempaka, the LCIII chairperson of Kagumba Sub-county, said residents were living in fear and alleged that some had been threatened with arrest by police officers.
He accused some officers of attempting to protect a senior colleague instead of allowing due process to take its course.
“We find ourselves in arms with district police officers who are threatening to arrest us in an attempt to appease their boss. This is impunity and entirely unacceptable and we are determined to resist and will continue to do so to the dot as mandated by law,” Kempaka said.
Robinah Nakitende, an 80-year-old widow and one of the long-time occupants of the land, alleged that a relative may have fraudulently sold part of the property without the consent of the wider family.
She denied claims that her late husband had sold the land to Mr Halango.
“We received shares from our husband during his lifetime and am pretty sure they concocted the land sales agreement with the other family but we shall pursue them,” Nakitende said.
Kamuli Deputy Resident District Commissioner Adonia Mafumo said authorities would convene a meeting involving all concerned parties in an effort to resolve the dispute amicably.
The dispute comes amid ongoing investigations into allegations of forgery linked to local land transactions in the area.
Authorities in Kamuli previously arrested George Batambule, the LCII chairperson of Kibuye Parish in Kagumba Sub-county, on April 14, 2026, following directives from the Resident District Commissioner over alleged forgery-related offences.
The arrest stemmed from a land dispute involving the family of the late Philip Oboi, whose estate remains at the centre of the ongoing controversy.