Mr. Mwesigye Reuben shortly after the hearing at Masindi Magistrate Court.
By witnessradio.org Team
Masindi – Uganda – a Chief Magistrates Court in Masindi, has charged Mwesigye Reuben, a land broker in the Kiryandongo land grab saga, which has rendered tens of thousands of poor communities landless with three counts including fraud.
The Masindi Chief Magistrate, His Worship Ssejemba Deogratius read there three (3) charges to Mwesigye Reuben all the offenses arising from land comprised in Block 7, Plots 66, 68 and 69 at Kimogora in Kiryandongo District to wit: Count One (1); Forgery contrary to Section 342 and 347 of the Penal Code Act. (Forged an application for lease in February 2015). Count two (2); Uttering a false Document contrary to Section 351 of the Penal Code Act. (Purporting that the lease application was signed by the Mutunda sub-county Area Land Committee), and count three (3); Fraudulent procuration of a certificate of Title Contrary to Section 190 of the Registration of Titles Act. (July 2015 at Masindi Zonal Lands Office).
Mwesigye, who was first arrested on May, 28th 2021, and responsible for the forced displacement of tens of thousands of poor communities off their land, entered a plea of not guilty.
Residents (victims of forced land eviction) accuse Mwesigye of using machete-wielding men, private security guards, and police officers attached to Kiryandongo district police to commit violent acts which include: sexual and gender-based violence, illegal arrest and detention, torture, kidnap, demolition of houses, cutting down their food crops, and stealing their household properties among others.
The communities plagued by the continued forced evictions comprise three categories: The first category consists of people who were born on the land since 1935; the second, those that settled on the land during and after civil wars, including the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) which lasted for 2 decades in Northern Uganda; and lastly, those who settled on the eviction site at the instance of government in 2011 through the Nyamalebe Landless Association.
After the fraudulent acquisition of the community land, Mwesigye sold the land to Great Seasons SMC Limited for large-scale coffee and maize growing.
Great Seasons SMC Limited, solely owned by a Sudanese investor based in Dubai, is part of a group of three multinational companies consisting of Kiryandongo Sugar Limited and Agilis Partners Limited owned by an Indian family (RAI Dynasty) and the American twin brothers (Benjamin Prinz and Phillip Prinz) respectively.
The State Prosecutor, Kyaligonza Francis, and witnessradio.org legal team on the watching brief requested for adjournment of the case to allow more time for investigation.
Mwesigye applied for bail and was granted a non-cash bail of UGX 4 Million. Each of the Sureties was bound in the sum of UGX 10 Million not cash.
He’s set to return to court on Tuesday 6th July 2021 for the next hearing.
