By Siraje Lubwama
A land commission agent who allegedly assisted Uganda Police Force (UPF) purchase 100 acres of land on which the force’s University was to be constructed has accused some key figures in Uganda Police for denying him his ‘due’ commission worth Shs900m after the transaction.
Two weeks after the arrest of former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Gen.Kale Kayihura and detained at Makindye Military barracks for yet to be confirmed charges, Umar Diini Ddumba approached our reporter and asked him to report about ‘his plight’, saying him and his other colleague, a one Juma Kasule last year approached former MP Lubaga South Susan Nampijja with a deal of selling a chunk of land measuring100 acres whose proprietor was William Katumba, Chairman Awakula Ennume Bus Service and former Treasurer-UTODA.
This same land, TheSpy Uganda confirmed last night that it used to house Chairman Katumba’s West Heart Primary and Secondary Schools but have since been either relocated or ceased to exist,and was sold in last year, but a year later, the brokers have never been paid their commission, according to their claim.
“This land used to belong to Chairman Katumba,we connected Police to buy it for its University but it’s now a year they’ve never paid our commission, and Hon.Nampijja who connected us to the late Andrew Felix Kaweesi (former AIGP) no longer picks our calls,” Ddumba said.
The land in question is comprised at Block 149 plot 50 measuring 40.47 Hectares (100 acres) situated at Kikandwa in Wakiso District. It’s said the land had been mortgaged by proprietor William Katumba to Micro Finance Support Centre for a loan given to UTODA’s Awakula Ennume Bus service. When approached for a comment, Katumba agreed to have sold the land to Uganda Police through the Ministry of Internal Affairs at SH8.3bn not Shs9Bn as alleged. He however denied having dealt with any brokers over his land. “I sold it to Police at 8.3B,not 9B as alleged, and I never dealt with any middle men” Katumba said.
Katumba said he decided to sale the said land because he had a loan to service and yet Gov’t frustrated their Taxi Business in Kampala.
“I agreed with police to sell them the land cheaply because we had a loan with that Micro Finance yet government had refused to give us guarantee to the bus suppliers after frustrating our taxi business, though Kaweesi was against this transaction, Kayihura helped us,” said Katumba.
However,even after agreeing at a cheaper cost, Katumba’s endeavors to be paid by the force later on fell on ‘deaf ears’!
“Funny thing is,even after agreeing with the little price with the Police Boss, we struggled to be paid to no avail until an official [name withheld] took me to the president who ordered that I be paid Shs6B as part payment until I relocate the 50 squatters and hand over the title to Uganda Land Commission for safe custody,” added Katumba.
Katumba said he has never got his balance of 2.3B as of now because there are still five squatters who are not yet resettled.
The agreement which this reporter saw, indicates that the balance of Shs2.3bn was to be paid to Katumba after he had removed the 50 squatters on the land and land titles transferred to Uganda land Commission for custody.
Umar alleges that the last time he tried to call Nampijja who connected him to late Kaweesi for their commission was in March 13, 2017and she refused to pick his phone until he rang her father also former Rubaga South MP John Ken Lukyamuzi, who told him that her daughter (Nampijja) had abandoned the transaction after Kaweesi’s death.
Umar said that earlier, Nampijja had told him that both Kaweesi and Kayihura had disagreed on buying this land. In Katumba’s chat,he also confirmed that Kaweesi was against the purchase as human resource though his boss over ruled him.
Kaweesi was gunned down on March 17, 2017 together with his driver and bodyguard shortly after he left his Kulambiro residence in the morning.
