“A 50-Year Land War That Refuses to Die Makerere, Kampala”. A prime five-acre piece of land on Block 28 Plot 540, along Sir Apollo Kaggwa Road, has become one of Uganda’s most bitterly contested properties.
For over five decades, it has dragged families, courts, land offices, powerful business interests, and even the name of a senior government official into a web of claims, counter-claims, court battles, and mysterious company transfers.
It all began in 1969.
According to the Nantumbwe family, the late Musa Muganzi Kalanzi borrowed money from his sister, Nakalanzi, and used this very land as security.
When Kalanzi failed to repay the debt, the matter landed in court. Nakalanzi was awarded the land.
In 1973, she sold it to Nantumbwe. The property stayed in the Nantumbwe family, and in 1994, it was officially transferred to her children. Kalanzi himself died in 1984. By then, the Nantumbwe family insists, the land had long left his estate.
Fast forward to 2008 – the storm returned.
Mariam Kuteesa, a granddaughter of Kalanzi, suddenly surfaced, claiming the land as part of her grandfather’s estate. The Nantumbwe family pushed back hard, arguing that Kuteesa was not the lawful administrator and that the property had been legally transferred decades earlier.
At the Lands Office, Commissioner Sarah Kulanta refused to issue any new title. She told Kuteesa the dispute required a court decision.
Then the courts got involved.
In 2009, Kuteesa dragged the Commissioner to court. Justice Mulangira delivered an ex parte ruling that appeared to favour her. But the Nantumbwe side, armed with what they called original title documents, challenged the judgment.
In 2011, Commissioner Nyombi stepped in. After reviewing the records, he declared in writing that the registered owners holding the original titles were the rightful proprietors. He copied his strongly worded position to the IGP, the IGG, and the Attorney General.
Enter the companies.
Facing resistance at the land registry, Kuteesa granted Mineral Point Ltd a power of attorney.
The mandate was sweeping: cancel the existing title, obtain a special title, and even facilitate a possible sale. Multiple parties directly linked Mineral Point Ltd to Gen. Kahinda Otafiire. Later, Kuteesa revoked the power of attorney, claiming it was being misused.
In 2013, Justice Kisauzi ordered mediation. That process itself became disputed. The Nantumbwe family appealed, and Justice Remmy Kasule granted them a stay of execution.
2015 brought another twist.
Mineral Point Ltd reportedly transferred or sold its claimed interest in the land to Continental – a company also linked by parties in the dispute to Gen. Otafiire.
The 2016 Settlement.
In 2016, the two sides returned to court and struck a consent deal before Justice Kiryabwire. Kuteesa was to receive UGX 750 million, while the Nantumbwe family would keep ownership and possession of the land.
The appeal was withdrawn.
Many hoped this would finally bury the matter.But the dispute refused to stay buried.Despite the consent decree, fresh claims surfaced.
In 2020, Emmy and Monica Kaluhanya acquired an interest in the property after what they described as thorough due diligence.
Uganda Development Bank also reportedly conducted its own checks before advancing financing.
By 2021, new “kibanja” (occupancy) claims added yet another layer of complexity.
The Core Question Remains After more than 55 years, the central riddle is unchanged: Did Block 28 Plot 540 still form part of Musa Muganzi Kalanzi’s estate after the 1969 transaction with his sister Nakalanzi? Or had legal ownership already passed cleanly to Nantumbwe decades before Kalanzi’s death?
TV10’s investigation reveals how overlapping family claims, court orders, land registry decisions, and powerful business interests have kept this prime Makerere land in perpetual dispute – enriching lawyers and creating uncertainty for genuine owners and investors.
As the parties continue to circle each other in the courts and at the land office, one thing is clear: For Block 28 Plot 540, the final chapter is still waiting to be written.
This is TV10 Investigative – following the story wherever it leads.
