By Witness Radio team.

The High Court of Uganda at Fort Portal has overturned the grant of surface rights over Lake Katwe to Rwenzori Shining Star Limited, a salt mining company affiliated with a Chinese-Ugandan multi-million-dollar venture, Witness Radio has learned.

The Court’s decision is a testament to the power of collective action. It follows a case filed in the High Court of Fort Portal by the Tweraneho Listeners Club and 10 other applicants, representing over 6,000 people from Katwe Kabatoro town council, whose livelihoods depend on Lake Katwe. The applicants bravely challenged the illegal giveaway of Lake Katwe to an investor by the Town Council of Katwe Kabatoro.

The company, Rwenzori Shining Star Limited, is a multimillion-dollar investment in a Chinese-Uganda Consortium. According to the company documents, the company’s board Chairman is Captain Mike Mukula, who serves in one of Uganda’s top political positions.

In September 2020, Rwenzori Shining Star Ltd applied to the Katwe Kabatoro Town Council for surface rights over Lake Katwe to set up a salt mining project.

In less than three months, the town council granted the surface rights to the company without consulting the local miners or project-affected persons, a decision that led to adverse effects, including forced evictions, which altered the lives of many families and their livelihoods.

Under Miscellaneous Cause No. 007 of 2021, the applicants, who included those evicted from their workplaces, among others, claimed that the giveaway was made without consultation, thereby violating their constitutional rights.

In a court proceeding on July 14, 2025, presided over by Hon Justice Vicent Emmy Mugabo, it was made clear that both Katwe Kabatoro Town Council and the local government had no legal authority to grant surface rights.

In addition to not having the authority to grant surface rights, the honorable court also revealed that the actions of the surface rights giveaway violated the rights of the local communities.

“The applicants claim that the 1st respondent’s (Katwe Kabatoro) act of granting lake Katwe surface rights to 2nd Respondent (Rwenzori Shining Star Ltd) without consulting the local people and direct beneficiaries of the lake is inconsistent with and violates their rights.” The Court ruling, which Witness Radio obtained a copy of, reads.

The court’s decision not only nullified the surface rights but also issued a permanent injunction, providing a sense of security to the community. This injunction restrains Rwenzori Shining Star Limited, its agents, and any other persons from interfering with the ongoing activities of community members currently using the lake.

Mr. Simon Amanyire, the Executive Director of Twerwanko Listener’s Club, a Non-Governmental Organization that supports the affected victims, welcomed the significant milestone and the duo’s respect for the court ruling.

“TLC welcomes the decision of the high court and hopes the company will respect court decisions.” The Director wrote to Witness Radio’s team.

Mugaino is battling charges of abuse of office and corruption over allegations of irregular cancellation of certificates of title for several pieces of land in Kampala city.

The Inspectorate of Government (IG) says about 20 witnesses are expected to testify against former Commissioner for Land Registration Baker Mugaino.

Mugaino is battling charges of abuse of office and corruption over allegations of irregular cancellation of certificates of title for several pieces of land in Kampala city.

The cancelled titles belong to Tropical Bank, Namayiba Park Hotel and businessman Gerald Akugizibwe.

The titles are for land comprising Kibuga Block 12 plots 658, 659, and 665 in Kisenyi; Kibuga Block 4 plot 152 in Namirembe, and Kyadondo Block 244 plot 2506 in Kisugu, Kampala district.

In a statement released on July 23, 2025, IG says the 20 complaints including Tropical Bank officials have recorded witness statements and are ready to give evidence against Mugaino in court.

The statement was released following an article published in the Independent Magazine titled, “IGG abusing her office”.

The IG said the article contains unfounded allegations against the person of the Inspector General of Government (IGG), Beti Kamya Turwomwe, questioning her decision to interdict, investigate and later prosecute Mugaino.

According to the IG, it is standard procedure for the IGG to issue orders to interdict a public officer if they have cause to believe that the officer might interfere with investigations.

The IG says the authority is derived from Article 230(2) of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda and Section 13(6) of the Inspectorate of Government Act.

The IG states that the matter of Mugaino’s conduct while performing official duty is before court and, therefore, cannot be discussed in the public because it offends the sub judice law.

The IGG over the past four years has interdicted over 150 public officers, including six senior officers in the Office of the Prime Minister and many chief administrative officers.

Complaints

According to the statement, between December 2024 and April 2025, the IGG received 22 complaints against Mugaino alleging cancellation of certificates of title without following prescribed procedures under the law, removal of caveats without giving prescribed notices, double titling, issuing of special certificates of title while original ones exist, leading to multiple titling, cancellation of certificates of titles for disputes that would essentially be handled by courts with the intention of defeating Justice.

IG states that preliminary investigations found merit in the allegations and the IGG decided to launch a full-scale investigation in the office of the commissioner land registration.

Allegations

Prosecution alleges that between April 8 and 20 this year, Mugaino, while employed in the public service as commissioner of land registration, lands ministry in Kampala, abused his authority by arbitrarily performing acts prejudicial to his employer’s interests – the Government of Uganda, Tropical Bank Ltd, Akugizibwe and Namayiba Park Hotel.

He is accused of irregularly cancelling certificates of title his office had issued to Tropical Bank, Akugizibwe, and Namayiba Park Hotel.

The prosecution also alleges that Mugaino neglected his duties as stipulated in Section 88 of the Land Act and his schedule of duties as commissioner land registration, in April this year when handling a complaint about the land in question.

Background

Court documents indicate that on February 28, 2007, Businessman Mousa Lutwama Kizito obtained a credit facility of shillings 400 million from Tropical Bank using collateral constituting land at Kisugu in Kampala.

The documents further state that on August 18, 2007, Lweza Clays Ltd also obtained a credit facility from Tropical Bank using collateral consisting of land comprising Namirembe and Kisugu in Kampala and Lweza in Wakiso district.

Accordingly, Tropical Bank on September 25, 2007 registered the mortgages on the certificate of title.

However, Kizito and Lweza Clays defaulted on their loan repayments, prompting the bank to advertise the mortgaged properties after winning a court case.

Consequently, the bank on October 10, 2022, sold the mortgaged property at Namirembe to Akugizibwe for shillings 415 million. The bank also sold property at Kisenyi to Namayiba Park Hotel for shillings two billion.

The bank wrote to the Registrar High Court requesting the return of the mortgaged certificates of titles and bank guarantee as per the court order issued by Justice Stephen Mubiru.

The bank applied to the Commissioner Land Registration, requesting for special certificates of title upon failure to retrieve the mortgaged copies from the Registrar High Court (Commercial Division).

In a petition dated April 8, 2025, MBS Advocates, acting on behalf of Kizito and Luweza, requested the commissioner land registration to cancel the certificates of title for the land in question and Mugaino allegedly illegally removed court orders and caveats that had been lodged on the certificates of title, without any other orders from court.

Original Source: New Vision

The National Forestry Authority (NFA) is under growing criticism for allocating sections of Kitubulu Central Forest Reserve in Entebbe to private developers—an action environmental advocates say contradicts the agency’s mandate of sustainable forest management.

According to the NFA’s official website, the authority is responsible for managing Uganda’s 1.265 million hectares of central forest reserves sustainably.

However, the recent clearing of parts of Kitubulu forest for development has sparked public outcry and accusations of institutional mismanagement.

This move also revives concerns about historical encroachment in Kitubulu. In 2018, a private developer controversially fenced off portions of the reserve to build cottages.

In 2022, Entebbe Member of Parliament Michael Kakembo led efforts to dismantle illegal structures, citing violations of environmental protection laws.

Environmentalists stress that the reserve plays a vital ecological role, including filtering pollutants before they enter Lake Victoria.

“This forest is part of the lake’s natural filtration system,” said a local activist who requested anonymity.

“When you clear it for concrete, you’re endangering both biodiversity and public health.”

Scientific data supports the reserve’s importance in preventing contaminants from reaching one of Africa’s most critical freshwater sources.

Broader concerns over Uganda’s dwindling forest cover add to the controversy. Research by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) shows forest land now covers just 1.9 million hectares—or 10% of Uganda’s total land area.

Much of this loss results from human activities such as deforestation for agriculture, charcoal burning, and unauthorized development.

While no direct peer-reviewed studies link NFA’s land allocations to specific ecological damage, experts warn that ongoing forest degradation threatens environmental stability.

Despite mounting criticism, the NFA has yet to issue a formal response explaining the legal and environmental grounds for the Kitubulu land allocations.

Pressure is growing for greater accountability and a thorough review of forest governance in Uganda.

Original Source: nilepost.co.ug