Cosase grills KCCA officials over misuse of public funds 

The parliamentary Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (Cosase) has faulted the technical wing of the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA for failure to protect its land, corruption and mismanagement of public funds.

Cosase’s criticism is embedded in the Auditor General’s report for the financial year ending July 20, 2022. Among the faults on KCCA is the fraudulent change of land ownership of Plot 71 on Nkrumah road, which used to be a hospital.

Documents furnished to the Cosase show that on April 4, 2010, city authorities, together with Uganda Land Commission (ULC), gave the green light to the redevelopment of the plot after receiving an application from Securex Amenities Limited.

The company was nonexistent at the time and went on to transfer the title from a five-year leasehold to freehold before selling it off. The directors of the company included Ephraim Ntaganda, who owned 80% of the shares, Innocent Mutabaluka, 10%, and Bob Kanaabi, 10%.

On March 22, 2012, the interests of the three people were transferred to Mahmud Bharwani, Shaida Bharwani and Baiju Joshi Bharwani, who acquired 100 per cent of the interests of the three directors.

CONTESTED Shs 377bn LAND AT MENGO-KISENYI

Cosase also faults KCCA for the hasty process to buy 10 acres in Mengo-Kisenyi from businessman Bosco Muwonge and his Boost Investments at an exorbitant $100 million (Shs 377 billion) without following due process. Each acre goes for $10 million (Shs 37.7 billion).

Cosase learnt that on November 11, 2022, Finance minister Matia Kasaija wrote to Dorothy Kisaka, the KCCA executive director, seeking clarification about the status of the 10 acres, which KCCA intended to buy to resettle street vendors. He called for a meeting involving Muwonge to address the issue.

However, while appearing before Cosase, Kisaka said they were not in negotiations with Muwonge to buy his 10 acres of land for $100 (377 billion). Meanwhile, it also emerged that the land is contested by other parties. In January 2023, Eseza Nola Nakibuuka petitioned the permanent secretary of the ministry of Finance, alleging that Boost Investments was not the rightful owner of the land.

Nakibuuka is one of the administrators of the estate of the late Erenesti Keresipo Kizito, who had obtained the land through succession. She claimed Boost Investments Limited applied for and obtained a fraudulent certificate of title. The Uganda Land Commission didn’t have jurisdiction to grant leases because the land didn’t fall under its jurisdiction.

“A suit was instituted by the administrators challenging the interests of Boost Investments and seeking the cancellation of land titles. The matter is pending hearing in the High Court land division,” she said.

“I have learned that the government of Uganda is in the process of releasing money to Boost Investments Limited to purchase the said land for settlement by street vendors before the above case is heard and disposed of. This is to request you to immediately put a halt to the said payment as the court still has an obligation to adjudicate over the issue of ownership,” she said.

The KCCA team is expected to face Cosase for more inquiries later this month.

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