By Spy Uganda
A parliamentary probe into the management of Uganda Railways Corporation (URC) land has uncovered a disputed 1.3-acre prime property in Kampala allegedly held on a 99-year lease by a company linked to businessman Godfrey Kirumira.
The disputed land, located directly opposite Victoria University and in front of URC headquarters, came under scrutiny when the Committee on Physical Infrastructure questioned URC management over the ownership and status of the property.
The committee, chaired by Hon. Mwine Mpaka, was meeting URC officials led by Managing Director Benon Kajuna to examine concerns ranging from missing railway wagons and disputed land to procurement and staff training.
According to Kajuna, the property was originally leased by the then Kampala District Land Board to Kampala City Council (KCC) for 99 years in 2000.
KCC subsequently granted a five-year lease over the land to Philadelphia Trade and Industry Limited on June 1, 2006.
Kajuna told the committee that Philadelphia later expressed interest in converting the five-year lease into a 99-year interest, but maintained that the process was never completed after a caveat was lodged on the property in 2012.
“There was an intention to extend the interest to 99 years but this did not happen,” Kajuna told the committee.
However, Mpaka challenged the explanation, revealing that the committee’s own search indicated that Philadelphia Trade and Industry Limited currently holds a 99-year lease over the contested property.
“We did a search as a committee yesterday and he (Kirumira) actually has 99 years on this land and he is MS Philadelphia,” Mpaka said.
The committee further said its search with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) established that Philadelphia Trade and Industry Limited is owned by members of the Kirumira family.
The revelation has prompted the committee to summon Kirumira to explain how the company acquired the long-term interest in the property and clarify the circumstances surrounding the disputed lease.
The property dispute emerged against a wider challenge facing URC in protecting its land holdings across the country.
Kajuna told legislators that the corporation has repeatedly written to the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development seeking the return of railway land titles that remained with the Ministry following the privatisation process.
According to Kajuna, the corporation has yet to receive a response to its requests.
He warned that if the matter remains unresolved, URC could be forced to seek special certificates of title using available documentation to secure its land assets.
The corporation is also preparing a broader land protection exercise involving boundary reopening, title migration and re-surveys, alongside legal action against what it considers illegally acquired titles.
Kajuna revealed that URC has identified more than 24,600 cases of encroachment along railway corridors.
The scale of the encroachment, he said, poses a major challenge to the corporation’s efforts to protect railway reserves and expand operations.
The land concerns come as government continues to invest heavily in reviving Uganda’s railway network.
Kajuna told the committee that more than Shs100 billion has been invested in rehabilitating the metre-gauge railway, while another Shs105 billion has been allocated towards the acquisition and rehabilitation of rolling stock and other critical railway infrastructure.
The investments are expected to strengthen freight transportation, improve passenger services and restore public confidence in rail transport as a cheaper and more efficient alternative for moving cargo.
URC is also implementing measures to improve safety along railway corridors, including upgrading level crossings, installing boom barriers and deploying crossing guards at high-risk locations.
The corporation has further intensified public awareness campaigns aimed at discouraging unsafe use of railway infrastructure.
The parliamentary committee is expected to pursue the disputed Kampala property with Kirumira and other relevant authorities as it continues examining URC’s land management and broader operational challenges.
