The State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU), in collaboration with the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), has intensified efforts to combat land-related injustices, leading to the arraignment and remand of two suspects accused of participating in a violent land takeover in Kira Municipality, Wakiso District.
The suspects, identified as Ssemakula Yusuf, a businessman, and Kato Erick, a mechanical engineer, were this afternoon arraigned before the Kira Chief Magistrate’s Court to answer six counts relating to alleged land grabbing, forcible entry, unlawful occupation and destruction of property belonging to bona fide occupants.
The court remanded the two until November 23, 2026, as they face charges of destroying growing plants, forcible entry, forcible detainer and unlawful eviction of bona fide occupants without a court order.
According to the prosecution, the alleged offences occurred between September and November 2025 at Kitukutwe Village, Kira Municipality, Wakiso District, where the accused, together with other individuals still at large, allegedly mobilised an unusually large group of people who violently entered land comprised in Block 180, formerly Plot 2 Kyadondo.
The group allegedly entered the property with the intention of taking possession of it without following the established legal procedures or obtaining a court order authorising the eviction of the existing occupants.
In a further allegation, during November 2025, the accused, acting alongside other individuals still at large, allegedly participated in the destruction of property belonging to three individuals identified as Kabugo William, Kizito Robert Nsimbi and Edisa Sanyu.
The alleged destruction affected several agricultural investments and growing plants on the land, including eucalyptus trees, natural trees, maize gardens, banana plantations, sweet potatoes, fruit trees and cassava, among other crops.
The destruction of these plantations points to the wider economic consequences that land-related violence can have on individuals and families whose livelihoods depend on land ownership, farming and other investments.
Beyond the ownership of land, the case brings into focus the rights of bona fide occupants and the importance of respecting the rule of law in resolving property disputes. Even where disagreements over ownership or possession arise, the law provides established channels through which parties can seek redress without resorting to violence, intimidation or self-help evictions.
SHACU, working jointly with CID and ODPP, continues to pursue alleged criminal conduct that undermines the rights of Ugandans, including unlawful land takeovers and the destruction of property.
The Unit emphasises the importance of resolving land disputes through lawful processes and reminds the public that no person should take the law into their own hands by forcibly entering occupied land, destroying property or evicting occupants without following the required legal procedures.
The two suspects will remain on remand until November 23, 2026, when they are expected to return to court. They are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a competent court of law.
