KAMPALA — Business tycoon Godfrey Kirumira Kalule, one of the wealthiest Ugandans with interests in real estate has been summoned by Mukono police with reports pinning him over forging a kibanja sales agreement for a 45-acre piece of land in Namanve Industrial Park.
Kirumira has been summoned alongside a one Andrew Muyonga to appear at Seeta Police Station to record statements over forgery and uttering false documents.
Reports indicate that Mr Kirumira, on October 30, 2021 at Kolo village in Mukono, knowingly and fraudulently uttered a false document (Kibanja sales agreement) on Block 113, Plot 142 at Mukono High Court, purporting that he had bought it from Yokana Mukasa Galikwoleka, whereas not.
Muyonga is accused of forging a kibanja sales agreement for the land in the same period.
“This office is investigating a case in which you are required to report to Police to assist in providing valuable information required in this matter,” the summons issued on Friday and served to Meddie Katumba on behalf of Kirumira and Muyonga by detective corporal Jebrone Waiswa, state.
The duo is expected to be grilled by detective inspector of Police William Malenge.
Arrest, confession
When the Police arrested Muwonge, a builder, on April 10, he confessed to signing and placing his right-hand thumbprint on the sales agreement.
Muwonge said he was made to rewrite the sales agreement in his handwriting in November 2021 by the site supervisor, Andrew Muyonga, at Jokas Hotel in Bweyogerere, Wakiso district.
Muwonge said he drafted the kibanja sales agreement dated October 30, 2017.
“I wrote the kibanja sales agreement, copying from the copies Muyonga had,” Muwonge, who calls Kirumira his boss, said in a Police statement dated April 10, 2022.
He, however, said he did not see the buyer or the seller while writing the agreement.
A Police forensic report dated April 22, 2022, confirms that the thumbprint, writings and signature in the sales agreement are for Muwonge.
It was signed by Sylvia Chelangat, the acting deputy director of forensic services.
In his Police statement, Musa Hamuza claims he was paid UGX. 100,000 after signing the agreement on Muyonga’s advice.
He, however, said he found out later that an Indian, Minaz Karmali, was complaining over the same land.
According to court documents, Rogers Mubangizi, a farmer and security guard at Quality Chemicals Limited, says while at Jokas Hotel, Mubiru and Hamza Galiwango, the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) director for industrial parks development, informed him of the deal and sought his assistance, but he declined to sign the agreement.
The local investor said Liberty ICD has owned three freehold plots No. 1501, 1502 and 1425 on Block 113 in Namanve for many years.
He accused Kirumira of illegally transferring a title on Plot 393, Block 113 into his name.
The title was used as collateral by Capital Ventures International Limited for a UGX. 400m loan against 85-acre-land.
Court documents indicate that Kirumira paid stamp duty to Uganda Revenue Authority of UGX 1.275m, but Capital Ventures had assessed a stamp duty of UGX671.2m.
He said although Kirumira claims it is a kibanja, there is no evidence of a landlord, payment of busulu and its history, maintaining that it is a freehold land that he acquired in November 2010.
Conflict
Despite the ongoing court case over the matter, Kirumira petitioned the deputy commissioner of lands, who summoned two parties (Prof. Minaz and Kirumira) to hear the matter before he takes a decision to either cancel the title or not.
Complainant
The summons were prompted by lawyer George Kintu, who instituted a forgery case against the businessmen.
This results from a trespass case filed at Mukono High Court by Kirumira against Minaz Karmali, the director of Liberty ICD Limited.
In his complaint, the lawyer said Kirumira alleged to have bought a kibanja from Galikwoleka at Kolo LCI, Nantabulirwa parish, Goma division in Mukono district on October 30, 2017.
However, a death certificate from the National Identification and Registration Authority submitted at Mukono High Court indicates that Galikwoleka, a shamba boy working for the late Charles Kagenya, died on July 20, 1996.
The lawyer said Kirumira attached to his court documents a sales agreement with Joseph Muwanguzi and Musa Hamuza listed as witnesses.
Kirumira speakes out
In a suit filed at Mukono High Court on November 29, 2021, Kirumira contends that he has been the registered proprietor of the land comprised in plots 392 and 393, respectively, for the past five years, which he has fenced off.
He therefore wants court to stop the investor from evicting him from the 46-acre piece of land.
