Ainebyona was sentenced to one and a half years in prison or a fine of UGX 3.5 million after being found guilty of forcible entry, malicious damage, and assault.

The case began following a March 2025 arrest, where Ainebyona violently evicted residents from a contested plot in Block 542.

During the incident, he destroyed plantations and physically assaulted occupants. The dispute involves a 1932 freehold title held by departed Asians and a 1999 mailo title held by Mwanje Badru; Ainebyona claimed to be acting for the former.

The conviction follows a direct intervention by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU). Under the leadership of Brig Gen Henry Isoke, the unit investigated the criminal elements of the case following a presidential directive, ensuring the rule of law was upheld alongside the Ministry of Lands and the DPP.

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In a video circulating on social media, Majembere donning an NRM t-shirt is crying out to President Museveni asking for his intervention as he alleges witch-hunt by the State House Anti Corruption Unit (SH-ACU) who are investigating him.

”He is trying to hide behind blackmail. After his arrest last year. There are a lot of new cases coming up against him which are still under investigations,” an official from SH-ACU headed by Brig Henry Isoke said on Wednesday.

Majambere was charged in connection with a high-profile land dispute in Gomba District last year. The case, investigated by Uganda’s State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SH-ACU), centers on allegations of illegal land occupation, theft, and fraud involving a 300-acre farmland legally owned by 75-year-old Frank Rushanganwa since 2003.

According to official complaints filed in 2023, Majambere and associates allegedly forcibly seized Rushanganwa’s property (Block 75, Plot 2) and stole 157 cattle valued at UGX 318 million (≈$85,000), later moving the livestock to undisclosed locations.

Majambere reportedly claimed partial ownership through a disputed 2020 transaction with co-accused Amos Mwesigye, who himself alleged purchasing the land in 2018 but failed to provide documentation. Authorities assert that the duo further subdivided and sold portions of the contested land to unsuspecting buyers to cement their control.

Majambere was arraigned in Gomba Magistrates’ Court in August 2024, facing charges of conspiracy, criminal trespass, and theft.

However, since his court appearance, he has publicly accused the SH-ACU of misconduct, using social and mainstream media to allege persecution. Investigators dismiss these claims as attempts to discredit the case, emphasizing that evidence—including Rushanganwa’s valid land title—supports the charges.

Land disputes remain a pervasive issue in Uganda, often entangled with corruption and power imbalances.

Majambere’s position as a presidential appointee overseeing local governance has drawn scrutiny to the case, with critics citing broader concerns about officials abusing authority. While the accused denies wrongdoing, the court has yet to rule on the merits of the allegations.

Majambere remains embroiled in legal battles, with the next hearing pending. The SH-ACU has repeatedly reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing justice, stating, “No individual is above the law.”

Meanwhile, Rushanganwa, represented by legal advocates, seeks restitution for his losses and protection from further harassment. Claims of persecution by Majambere remain unproved.

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Lira, Uganda. Okwir Joel, a local businessman and former chairperson of the Railway Division land committee, was arraigned Friday at Lira Chief Magistrate Court on charges of attempted felony, uttering false documents, and creating forged paperwork.

In a plaint against Mr Okwir, the Director of Public Prosecutions working on evidence collected by a joint investigation by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit  (SH-ACU) and Criminal Investigations Directorate, it is alleged Joel fraudulently acquired a leasehold certificate of title for a protected forest reserve in Railways Quarters A village, Lira Municipality.

Investigations revealed that in September 2021, Joel, leveraging his role as land committee chairperson, submitted land application forms to the Lira Municipal Zonal Office (MZO), falsely claiming customary ownership of the plot.

Investigators revealed that the land is legally designated as a forest reserve under Lira Municipal Council’s urban development plan.

Key evidence includes a forged minute extract from a supposed physical planning committee meeting dated December 20, 2019 (referenced as LMC PPC 083/12/2020), which prosecutors argue was fabricated to falsely indicate approval of Okwir’s application. The document allegedly misrepresented committee endorsement for land allocation.

Chief Magistrate Judith Achieng remanded Okwir until October 15, 2024, pending further inquiries.

The fraud has drawn scrutiny over land governance in Lira, where disputes over reserves and communal lands are frequent. SH-ACU headed by Brig Henry Isoke is keen  to safeguarding ecological zones, while activists call for stricter oversight of land committees.

If convicted, Joel faces up to seven years imprisonment under the Penal Code. His lawyers contested the charges, citing procedural gaps in documentation. The case resumes next month.

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The clients have for years demanded for their land titles purchased from various Jomayi estates in vain until their last hope was buried on Monday after a court decision to declare Jomayi insolvent following NC Bank’s unsuccessful attempt to retrieve sh868,250,000 from Jomayi.

Jomayi’s debt with the NC bank started in 2018 when Jomayi entered purchase agreements with Mr. Ssemwogerere John Baptist who had mortgaged his land 50.2 acres for 1.506 billion shillings in Busiro Block 410 Plot 20, Ssisa, Wakiso District, to NC Bank Uganda Limited for loans to Value Trading Stores Limited.

They agreed on six 251 million shillings installments, with overdue amounts incurring 21.5 percent interest. However, Jomayi failed to meet the payment schedule. Consequently, NC Bank sued in 2018, seeking 1.165 billion shillings, the unpaid land balance. They later settled on a consent judgment, requiring Jomayi to pay NC Bank 925,250,000 shillings in ten installments.

Jomayi partially paid but defaulted, prompting NC Bank to demand 868,250,000 shillings by January 2020, failing which insolvency proceedings would commence. The court found Jomayi indebted to NC Bank, unable to pay, and ordered its liquidation.

JOMAYi an acronym for its executive director, Joseph Yiga Magandazi has had several legal battles involving individual clients who purchased plots of land from the company, former Ministers Mathew Rukikaire and Gen. Henry Tumukunde who have all accused him of failure to pay their debt.

On Friday, May 19 a Daily Monitor advert announced sale of Jomayi’s properties just months after city tycoon Godfrey Kirumira had taken over Yiga Chambers on Plot 20, Old Kampala Road which was headquarters to Jomayi.

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Claiming to have deep connections everywhere in Uganda and more so State House, Etwop had distinguished himself as an untouchable land grabber who never spared even public land if it belonged to the Government of Uganda.

He had strong backers and collaborators inside the land board that was in charge before Lira was elevated to city status. These would help in falsification of documents to enable the land defrauding in favor of Etwop. His luck ran out on Friday when security operatives the state house anti corruption unit swung into action and arraigned Etwop in the court.

His remand to prison excited many.

There has been a lot of excitement because Etwop, a renowned social climber, had succeeded leveraging his position of being the NRM treasurer for Lira district to obliterate and silence whoever raised a finger demanding inquiry into his wrongful actions. Large crowds gathered to see the notorious fortune-hunter struggle to hold back tears inside Lira Chief Magistrate Court premises.

He clearly looked like a man who has irredeemably fallen on hard times as curtains fell on him. The incorruptible Chief Magistrate remanded him to Lira Main Prison moments after he had been harvested like chicken thief from his hideout in Kampala on the previous day, Thursday 1st February.

The proprietor of Rahino Oil Petrol Station, Amulam Building and a pharmacy business (besides notoriously heading the Ober clan) had for years endured reputational damage as his name kept being implicated in numerous fraudulent land transactions inside Lira City.

He has also been confusion-mongering among the adherents of the Pentecostal Assembly of God (PAG) Church; culminating into the creation of the new faction or break away denomination called ‘Yahweh Pentecostal Church Ministry.’

Having calculated poorly, the much-dreaded Geoffrey Etwop’s luck ran out on Thursday when he ineptly stormed State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU) offices in Kampala with bundles of ‘bloody money’ with intent to wet the beaks of key decision-makers at SHACU whose incorruptibility he underestimated. The investigators at SHACU responded in a way that left the flat-footed kiwaani tycoon from Lira regretting the day he was born.

Likening his act to unacceptable kamanyiro/familiarity, the ruthless SHACU operatives responded by promptly cancelling the ill-fated kiwaani tycoon’s bond, an act that was followed with him getting hand-cuffed and being pushed behind bars.

He wailed like a demon-possessed orphan but this never caused the SHACU operatives to relent. Initially, he was booked inside Kampala Central Police Station (CPS) until Friday morning when he was driven to Lira City where he is alleged to have fraudulently acquired several plots of prime public land and open spaces.

Upon arrival in Lira City, the now tearful and clearly knackered kiwaani tycoon was herded inside the Chief Magistrates Court from where he was assured time had come for him to pay for his sins. It was before the incorruptible area Chief Magistrate Samson Abiti Loum that the hapless and clearly trimmed Geoffrey Etwop appeared.

The charge sheet indicates that the 55-year- old much hated Etwop is a resident of Junior Quarters Cell, Kirombe Ward in Lira City West Division. The same charge sheet discloses that Etwop fraudulently procured a certificate of title relating to Lira City Green Belt commonly known as Tipper State along Lira-Soroti road.

This mischief was done and orchestrated between August 2017 and November 2020 when the same piece of land into his Geoffrey Etwop’s and made ready for private use.In court, Etwop’s lawyer applied for bail but the relentless prosecutor (standing in for the Resident Chief State Attorney) objected making it clear that it had to strictly be his boss to respond to the same bail application.

The Magistrate then considered the request and adjourned the matter to 5th February 2024 when the cantankerous businessman is expected to appear for his bail application ruling. To many Lira City dwellers, the dehorning of Etwop was long over due. Many locals believe that Etwop’s obliteration by the incorruptible SHACU operatives will go a long way in cowing many would-be land grabbers in Lira City where land conveyancing is increasingly becoming a lucrative undertaking.

With ring leader, Etwop behind bars, there is growing optimism that public land in Lira City will become much safer than would ever have been the case if SHACU hadn’t intervened ostensibly at the prompting of the President who kept getting whistle blower petitions calling on him to weigh in and protect public land.

This investigative website has learnt that the State House Anti-corruption Unit has for long been pleading with Etwop to be remorseful and surrender back some of the land titles relating to land which he fraudulently acquired to avoid being humiliated but he remained adamant thinking that being known to Betty Amongi was insurance enough to shield him against being finally subdued by the long arm of the law. Several high profile personalities equally reached out rendering advice all of which Etwop overlooked insisting he was a veteran of the game and knows what he is doing.

The highly consequential SHACU has since 2018 been investigating matters to do with fraudulent land conveyancing in Lira City and Geoffrey Etwop’s name kept coming up. 

Realization that SHACU was serious and it wasn’t going to be business as usual, several fraudsters (including politicians and technocrats) became cowed and surrendered all the documentation/titles relating to the same land in return for amnesty to avoid being prosecuted but Geoffrey Etwop characteristically exaggerated his connections in Kampala and stuck to his guns vowing to go down fighting. 

And this has ended up being the case and he will require divine intervention to recover from the reputation damage his arrest, arraignment and remanding has occasioned.

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KAMPALA.President Yoweri Museveni is expected to visit Okidi Parish, in Atiak Sub- County, Amuru district this weekend for the first time to specifically address the growing crisis of the settlement of the migrant cattle keepers commonly referred to as Balaalo in the Acholi Sub-region.

The president’s visit comes against the backdrop of an uproar among local leaders in the sub-region who have accused him of violating his own decision to evict the cattle keepers from the sub-region.

Leaders from the sub-region have on several occasions raised complaints to the President on the conflicts being witnessed between the locals and the cattle keepers over the illegal acquisition of vast chunks of customary land.

To address the complaints, President Museveni issued Executive Order No. 33 in May banning the illegal presence of cattle keepers from Northern Uganda by the end of June following years of complaints from local leaders.

The president raised three pertinent issues for the decision, citing the illegal presence of the cattle keepers, their manipulative approaches to buying communal land, and their failure to fence off their grazing land.

However, a month later, the president in a July 2 letter to Senior Presidential Advisor in Charge of Defense, Gen. Salim Saleh rescinded the eviction of the cattle keepers and extended the deadline to September 30 to allow time for verification. Since then, the President has extended the eviction deadline twice from October 20 to November 15 for verification of the cattle keepers, and the land owners and handling emerging complaints.

This hasn’t however gone down well with a section of legislators from the Acholi Sub-region, the epicenter of the migrant cattle keeper, who allege the move could be a ploy to buy more time for the cattle keepers to permanently settle.

Kilak South legislator Gilbert Olanya alleges that the President has no goodwill in solving the complaints raised by locals on the existence of the cattle keepers , who he alleges fraudulently acquired land.  He says while in other areas the cattle keepers were expelled by the President without much delay, the evictions in Acholi have dragged on for many years.

Olanya noted that the vast land being occupied by the cattle keepers was illegally acquired, yet they are customarily owned and called on the President not to give more time for evicting the cattle keepers.

After the President issued the executive order on evicting the cattle keepers in May this year, the government formed a select committee led by Prof. Jack Nyeko Pen Mogi, the chairperson of the Uganda Land Commission meant to verify the cattle keepers in the region.

Just a week ago, the government formed another technical committee to traverse the entire sub-region where the migrant cattle keepers are operating and assess their compliance with the President’s directives on legal land acquisition and fencing of their land among others.

But Phillip Polly Okin Ojara, the Chua West County legislator suspects the President has over time been fed on lies by leaders entrusted to enforce the eviction, arguing that the plights of locals living in areas being occupied by the cattle keepers have been ignored.

He says while the committee has been reporting to the President that the locals were living in peace with the cattle keepers, the reports on the ground paint a different picture, as many are crying over crop destruction by cattle and land encroachment.

About two weeks ago, a section of the legislators under the Acholi Parliamentary Group (APG) began a mobilization campaign to forcefully evict the migrant cattle keepers away from the sub-region in anger over the deadline extension. Led by Gilbert Olanya, and accompanied by Chua West legislator Philip Okin Ojara, Aruu North legislator Santa Okot, and Agago North legislator Amos Okot, the legislators visited Pader and Amuru Districts.

With the pressure mounting on the eviction of the cattle keepers, President Museveni who had met with leaders from the sub-region led by Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo on October 20 at the State House Entebbe, announced he would be visiting the Sub-region on November 3. Through his official X handle formerly Twitter, the President noted that he would meet both sides (the land owners, and the cattle keepers) to agree on a way forward.

“This week, I held consultative meetings with both the leaders of the Acholi sub-region and the Balaalo group at Statehouse, Entebbe. I have extended the deadline for the implementation of my Executive Order No. 3 from 20th October 2023 to 15th November 2023.  Within this period, I will visit the Acholi sub-region and meet both sides together to agree on a way forward,” He stated.

President Museveni is expected to visit Okidi Parish, in Atiak Sub-county, Amuru District where a large population of cattle keepers own vast chunks of land.

The President’s show of interest for the first time in physically interfacing with the locals, leaders, and migrant cattle keepers in the affected area comes nearly a decade since complaints about the rising numbers of cattle keepers from mainly the Western Part of Uganda came to light.

Just a day before the President set foot in Okidi Parish in Atiak Sub-County, Amuru district which hosts the largest population of cattle keepers, there is a mixed reaction among some leaders if the balaalo crisis will be permanently resolved.

Anthony Akol, the Kilak North legislator also a member of the technical committee instituted to verify the migrant cattle keepers says there is no hope the President’s visit will settle the current balaalo crisis.

He notes that the cattle keepers who are composed of high-profile individuals are currently bribing the local leaders in areas where they illegally acquired land to speak positively about their co-existence to the President.

“The balaalo have gathered money and now distributing it to people, they are intimidating the landowners and local leaders so that they tell lies that the locals are okay with them,” Akol told Uganda Radio Network on Thursday.

Akol notes that about 36 percent of land in Atiak Sub-County is currently being owned by cattle keepers adding that a greater percentage of the land communally owned was illegally acquired.

To address the current crisis, Akol says the government should consider relocating the cattle keepers to government ranches specifically to locations where there are no land problems with the locals.

Santa Okot, the Aruu north county legislator on the other hand blames President Museveni for encouraging the cattle keepers to stay through the extension of the eviction dateline and notes that his visit won’t solve the crisis.

She says the President should stick to his executive order on the expulsion of the cattle keepers to avoid a looming conflict in the region.

The Amuru Resident District Commissioner Stephen Odong Latek however says the division among the leaders who are speaking different languages about the balaalo is likely to jeopardize the president’s efforts. Latek says for the matter to be amicably resolved, leaders should speak from the same script.

“We have taken reasonable measures to try and mobilize the masses to put together what they think is good and will give them total benefit from the President’s coming, however to note is that my experience seems to give me away that we are not speaking from the same plate, the leaders who should represent the interest of the people seems not to be speaking from the same script, different languages are being used and it’s not good,” He says.

Latek notes that while he believes the President’s visit will help to set the pace for a better resolution on the balaalo presence, there is a need for leaders to be truthful.

According to recent verification, Amuru district alone has a total of 194 documented cattle keepers with 92 operating from Okidi Parish in Atiak Sub-county.

While there is no official data on the exact number of migrant cattle keepers occupying the Acholi Sub-region, leaders in the region estimate that there are close to 2,000 of them with about 40,000 herds of cattle in the sub-region in the districts of Pader, Nwoya, Gulu, and Amuru.

In August this year, leaders from the Acholi Sub-region unanimously resolved to halt the sales of customary land in a bid to end the mass acquisition of land by the cattle keepers. The leaders had met in Gulu city to discuss solutions to the growing acquisition of large chunks of land for cattle grazing by individuals from outside the region.

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