The High Court in Mukono has scheduled a hearing for a land dispute involving Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) Major Mark Wanyama and Mukono businessman Jackson Twinamasiko, following unsuccessful mediation efforts.
Since 2019, the two parties have been at odds over a contested seven-acre piece of land identified as Kyaggwe Block 494 Plot 9, located at Mbeya Island. The land originally belonged to Francis Tyaba, who resides in the USA, and had given Joyce Lutaaya power of attorney to manage the transaction.
Major Wanyama later forcefully evicted Twinamasiko, prompting the businessman to seek legal action. In response, Wanyama filed counterclaims against Twinamasiko.
Last year, the parties signed a consent agreement to consolidate all applications related to the primary lawsuit, where Twinamasiko accused Wanyama and Lutaaya, the landlord’s legal attorney, of fraudulent practices.
Lady Justice Florence Nakachwa Dollo, who previously presided over the case, permitted the parties to enter mediation and assigned Assistant Registrar David Wangutsi to arbitrate and oversee the withdrawal of the applications. However, Wangutsi expressed interest in the matter, and the case was re-assigned to Prof. Andrew Khaukwa.
The arbitration process, initially anticipated to take one month, faced setbacks due to Major Wanyama’s limited participation—he attended just once and failed to return.
After three months of inactivity, the arbitration was discontinued, and the matter referred back to court for hearing. However, proceedings were delayed when Justice Nakachwa was elevated to the Court of Appeal.
The case was reassigned to Justice Mary Kisakye Kaitesi. On Friday, it was scheduled for mention, but neither Major Wanyama nor his lawyer, George Muhangi, appeared in court.
Twinamasiko, who was present in court, requested additional time through his legal team led by John Burungu, to finalize the joint schedule of memorandum.
Lady Justice Kaitesi instructed that the joint schedule of memorandum be completed and submitted by June 24, setting July 3 for scheduling and hearing.
The disputed seven-acre piece of land was originally purchased by Twinamasiko from Francis Tyaba through his attorney, Joyce Lutaaya, who held power of attorney. Documents reveal Twinamasiko bought the property on November 6, 2019, for 70 million Shillings.
Subsequently, Lutaaya reportedly reneged on the deal with Twinamasiko, selling the land to Wanyama instead. Wanyama then forcibly occupied the property, deploying armed personnel to restrict Twinamasiko’s access or use of the land.
Moreover, Major Wanyama’s actions led to significant destruction of property on the farm and inflicted injuries on Twinamasiko’s casual workers.
