The Office of the Inspector General of Government (IGG) on Wednesday arrested and arraigned the embattled Commissioner for Lands, Hajji Baker Mugaino, before the Anti-Corruption Court Chief Magistrate, Rachael Nakyaze. He was charged with abuse of office and corruption.
Mugaino, visibly shocked by the arrest, was remanded to Luzira Prison after his initial bail application was deferred. However, in a development today, he was finally granted bail of UGX 3,000,000.
The charges against Mugaino stem from a search and seizure operation at his office on April 24, 2025, initiated after the IGG received multiple complaints implicating him in alleged fraudulent land dealings.
Following the operation, IGG Beti Olive Namisango Kamya directed the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mrs. Dorcas Okalany, to suspend Mugaino to pave the way for investigations.
In response, Mugaino—through his lawyer Anthony Bazira—petitioned the High Court’s Civil Division to block the directive. On May 5, 2025, Justice Acellam Collins issued an interim order restraining the implementation of the IGG’s directive:
“An administrative order is hereby issued restraining the implementation of the directive by the 1st and 2nd Respondents, or any persons acting under their authority, until the hearing and determination of the main application pending before this Court.”
Despite this court order, Mugaino was arrested and remanded, prompting public criticism of the IGG’s office for apparent defiance of judicial authority. The move has sparked a potential showdown between the Inspectorate and the courts.
Observers suggest that Mugaino’s troubles may be politically motivated. He was a key advocate for a new land verification technology, spearheaded by Arab investor Prince Maktum and local businessman Abu Mukasa. The system aimed to drastically reduce land title forgeries—a move that reportedly disrupted corrupt interests within the ministry.
Insiders claim this bold stance earned Mugaino powerful enemies among entrenched networks benefitting from fraudulent land dealings, possibly explaining the swift and controversial actions taken against him.
