By Spy Uganda
Kampala — In a landmark ruling that has sent shockwaves through Uganda’s governance and accountability apparatus, the High Court in Kampala has delivered a stinging judicial rebuke to former Inspector General of Government (IGG) Beti Olive Kamya, declaring her decision to interdict the Commissioner for Land Registration, Mr. Baker Mugaino, as “illegal, irrational, and procedurally improper.”
Hon. Justice Collins Acellam of the Civil Division ruled that the IGG had no lawful authority to direct the interdiction of a senior presidential appointee of Mugaino’s stature, branding the act ultra vires and a gross violation of the Constitution and the Public Service Standing Orders.
The court further found Kamya and her office in contempt of court for deliberately defying a subsisting order restraining implementation of her interdiction directives — a contemptuous act which Justice Acellam described as “a deliberate contravention of the rule of law.”
In the ruling delivered on October 21, 2025, the court not only nullified the interdiction and all subsequent actions by the IGG and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, but also awarded Mugaino UGX 50 million in general damages — castigating the IGG’s conduct as an abuse of power and “a blatant disregard of the law.”
Court Tears Into Kamya’s Actions
Justice Acellam held that under Article 172(1)(a) of the Constitution, disciplinary control over officers at the rank of Head of Department and above — such as the Commissioner for Land Registration — rests exclusively with the President of Uganda, not with the Inspectorate of Government or the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary.
“The IGG cannot direct a Permanent Secretary to break the law,” ruled Justice Acellam, stressing that the Permanent Secretary should have instead referred the matter to the appointing authority, the President.
The court affirmed that the Attorney General’s legal opinion dated May 16, 2025, which had advised the Ministry to recall Mugaino’s interdiction, was binding — yet willfully ignored by the IGG and the Ministry.
Kamya’s Defiance and Contempt
Despite a standing High Court order issued on May 5, 2025, halting all further implementation of her interdiction directives, Kamya reportedly proceeded to summon and prosecute Mugaino in the Anti-Corruption Division on the same allegations — acts which Justice Acellam deemed contemptuous and deliberate.
“A court order is not a mere procedural technicality,” the judge thundered. “It must be obeyed whether one agrees with it or not. The Respondent was fully aware of the order and chose to defy it.”
The court proceeded to quash the IGG’s charge sheet dated June 4, 2025, effectively collapsing the criminal proceedings Kamya had instituted against Mugaino.
Judicial Review Triumph
In a powerful reaffirmation of the rule of law, the court issued multiple prerogative orders — Certiorari, Prohibition, and Permanent Injunctions — against both the IGG and the Attorney General, restraining them from further implementing or acting upon any of the impugned directives of April 23 and April 28, 2025.
Justice Acellam noted that the IGG’s directive to interdict Mugaino was not only substantively unlawful but also violated principles of natural justice, as the Commissioner was never afforded a fair hearing or presented with detailed charges as required by the Public Service Standing Orders.
Vindication for Mugaino
The ruling effectively vindicates Mugaino, who had for months battled what he described as a politically motivated witch-hunt orchestrated from within the Ministry of Lands and the IGG’s office.
By this decision, the High Court has reinstated Mugaino’s full powers as Commissioner for Land Registration and ordered the government to “cough up UGX 50 million” in compensation for the humiliation, stress, and reputational damage suffered.
The judgment has been widely read as a humiliating legal blow to former IGG Beti Kamya — one that exposes the peril of administrative overreach and underscores the constitutional limits of her former office.
Spy Uganda understands that Kamya’s legal troubles may not end here. Several senior officers within the Ministry of Lands and the IGG’s office could face disciplinary sanctions or personal liability for contempt and unlawful execution of the interdiction.
This ruling now joins a growing catalogue of court decisions castigating the IGG for procedural irregularities, selective enforcement, and disregard of lawful process — issues that have dogged Kamya’s tenure since her controversial appointment.
As one senior judicial source put it: “This is not just a victory for Mugaino — it’s a reaffirmation that no one, not even the IGG, is above the law.”
