SHACU cracks down on Kira grabbers
KAMPALA.The State House Anti-Corruption Unit, working alongside the Criminal Investigations Directorate and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, has intensified its campaign against property crime, leading to the court appearance and remand of two men over a violent land takeover in Wakiso District’s Kira Municipality.
Businessman Ssemakula Yusuf and mechanical engineer Kato Erick appeared before the Kira Chief Magistrate’s Court to face six charges, including alleged land grabbing, unlawful entry, unauthorized occupation, and the destruction of assets belonging to legitimate residents.
Magistrates ordered both men held until November 23, 2026, as they confront allegations of destroying crops, forcible entry, forcible detainer, and evicting legal occupants without a judicial order.
According to prosecutors, the incidents unfolded between September and November 2025 at Kitukutwe Village in Kira Municipality, where the pair and other suspects still at large allegedly mobilized a large crowd to forcefully enter land registered as Block 180, formerly Plot 2 Kyadondo.
Investigators allege the group entered the site to seize control without following established legal procedures or obtaining a court order to remove the existing inhabitants.
In additional charges covering November 2025, the accused and their alleged accomplices are accused of destroying property belonging to three individuals: Kabugo William, Kizito Robert Nsimbi, and Edisa Sanyu.
The vandalism heavily impacted agricultural investments and growing crops on the land, damaging eucalyptus trees, natural forests, maize fields, banana plantations, sweet potatoes, fruit trees, and cassava.
This destruction underscores the broader economic fallout that land violence inflicts on families and individuals whose livelihoods depend on agriculture, farming, and property ownership.
Beyond questions of title, the case draws attention to the rights of bona fide occupants and the critical need to uphold the rule of law during property disputes. Even amid disagreements over ownership, legal frameworks exist for parties to seek resolution without turning to violence, intimidation, or self-help evictions.
Partnering with the CID and ODPP, SHACU continues targeting criminal behavior that undermines Ugandan citizens’ rights, specifically illegal land takeovers and malicious property destruction.
The Unit has strongly urged the public to resolve property disputes through official legal channels, reiterating that no individual has the right to take matters into their own hands by forcefully entering occupied land, destroying assets, or evicting residents outside the law.
The two suspects will remain in custody ahead of their next court appearance on November 23, 2026, and maintain the legal presumption of innocence until proven guilty in a competent court.
