Mbarara District Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) David Muhwezi has been arrested following revelations by the District Public Accounts Committee (PAC) over alleged irregularities in the allocation of prime public land.
Muhwezi was arrested on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, after appearing before a special PAC sitting convened to examine audit queries for the 2024/2025 financial year.
The committee discovered that more than 20 acres of district land on Kamukuzi Hill had been allocated to various institutions without proper documentation and without following the required procedures.
Among the beneficiaries are the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA), the Office of the Auditor General, Kampala International University, Uganda Management Institute, which received 0.427 hectares, Makerere University Business School with 0.626 hectares, Megger Technical Services with 1.4221 hectares, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, among others.
PAC Chairperson Herbert Kamugisha said the committee was concerned about the lease rates, which reportedly went as low as Shs30 million per acre, describing the figures as potentially below the actual market value of the land.
Appearing before the committee, Muhwezi defended the allocations, saying the district acted after receiving requests from various institutions and later sought guidance from the Uganda Land Commission, which approved the subdivision of the land.
However, PAC members faulted Muhwezi for allegedly failing to provide adequate technical guidance to the district council as the chief technical officer, arguing that he should have advised on the legal and administrative implications of the transactions before approval.
The committee ordered Muhwezi to step aside immediately and recommended his arrest to facilitate investigations. He was subsequently handed over to police and is currently detained at Bwizibwera Police Station.
PAC also suspended all land allocations, subdivisions, leases, and disposals on Kamukuzi Hill pending a comprehensive valuation of all government-owned property in the area.
The latest development adds to growing concerns over public land management in Mbarara District, which has previously faced scrutiny over missing land titles for Kakyeka Stadium and other valuable government properties.