The Ministry of Water and Environment is under scrutiny over alleged illegal procurement of a 70.2-acre piece of land in Kihanda Sub-County, Kanungu District.

According to a petition dated October 10, 2025, submitted to the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, Christine Joy Tusiime accuses officials from the ministry of land grabbing, abuse of office, and criminal conduct. The land in question is her ancestral property located in Ibarya Cell, Kihanda Parish.

Tusiime claims that in August 2023, the government, through the Ministry of Water and Environment, entered into a purported land acquisition and compensation agreement with her for the family land. However, she insists that the transaction was done irregularly and without her informed consent. She further alleges that the land was under a caveat at the time, and that no official land valuation, boundary opening, or legal procedures were followed before compensation and takeover.

The Ministry of Water and Environment is jointly accused with several officials including Hajj Shafik Sekandi (former RDC of Kanungu, now RDC of Kisoro), Amanyire Ambrose Mwesigye (current RDC of Kanungu), his deputy Gad Rugajju, and GISO Ambrose Barigye. Also implicated are local leaders: Jessica Tindimwebwa (LC I Chairperson – Ibarya Cell), Davis Asiimwe (LC III Chairperson Kihanda Sub-County), and Lemegio Tumwesigye (LC II Chairperson – Kihanda Parish).

Tusiime alleges that these officials colluded to demarcate the family land into smaller plots for personal gain, disguised as government compensation. In her words, “To our disbelief, these individuals in government offices demarcated our ancestral land into plots, which they shared among themselves to access and grab money through the Ministry of Water and Environment’s purported compensation.”

She also claims that on October 3, 2025, RDC Mwesigye led a group that stormed their ancestral home, demolishing the house and toilet. Tusiime states that these individuals, using their positions in government, forcibly occupied and destroyed family property including homes, crops, and graveyards without following legal procedures. She further alleges that the accused exhumed bodies of their deceased siblings and took them to an unknown location without the family’s knowledge or consent.

A document reportedly in the possession of the family shows that a Ministry official, identified as Paul Nuwagira—a sociologist—wrote on the land title indicating it had been received for mutation and transfer. The note reads: “Original duplicate title received for purposes of mutation and transfer to the government of Uganda represented by the Ministry of Water and Environment after consent to compensation was reached between vendors and government.”

In a March 18, 2025, letter to the Ministry, Tusiime expressed strong opposition to the transaction, raising issues such as lack of a valuation report, absence of a proper boundary survey, inadequate compensation, harassment, intimidation, and overall fraudulent conduct. Through her lawyers, she pointed out that neither she nor her elder sister had legal capacity to transact over the land. She also noted that the government had failed to issue a certificate of title for the residue land where her family was supposed to be resettled or relocate their ancestral burial grounds.

Tusiime claims the government is proceeding with the development project on the disputed land, despite failing to meet its obligations under the so-called agreement. She alleges that government officials have since taken over the land, destroyed property, and issued threats—with the support of RDC Mwesigye, his deputy Rugajju, and local police.

In an interview, Tusiime said the dispute traces back to 2004 following the death of her mother, when her sister took possession of the family land. She said this triggered a series of actions by local officials aimed at displacing her and destroying her interests. “The RDC then did a report, and from that time, they began targeting us—destroying plantations and allowing others to use the land to undermine us,” she said tearfully.

Due to continued threats and property destruction, Tusiime fled Uganda in 2023 and now lives in the United Kingdom. She maintains that the government must lawfully purchase the land and not rely on what she describes as fraudulent compensation efforts. She further alleges that RDC Mwesigye and his deputy Rugajju are now profiting from the land through activities like charcoal burning and have destroyed their house. Her appeals to the police, she says, were ignored.

She added: “I am humbly appealing to the President to intervene in this matter and rescue me from these notorious criminals pretending to work for the government.”

Tusiime also claims that her attempt to open boundaries and prove the extent of land grabbing was blocked by authorities. She accuses lawyers from Mark Mwesigye Advocates of playing a role in alleged forgery and land fraud related to her property in Ibarya Cell, Kanungu.

RDC Amanyire Ambrose Mwesigye denied any wrongdoing. He said he held meetings involving both parties and advised them to approach the Administrator General. He acknowledged that the land was part of a government irrigation project and said that several families were consulted in 2022, and valuation exercises were conducted in 2023. “Their family was among those consulted. They consented, and they were paid Shs1 billion, which was shared between Christine and her sister. The houses that were demolished are those earmarked for removal to pave way for the project,” he said.

When contacted, Paul Nuwagira, the sociologist from the ministry who handled part of the process, maintained that he acted on behalf of the Ministry. “Whatever I did was under the mandate of the Ministry of Water and Environment. If there is any complaint, it should be addressed to the ministry leadership—not to me personally,” he said. “There are proper channels for handling these matters, and people should stop addressing ministry issues to individuals.”

Despite repeated attempts, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Water and Environment, Dr. Alfred Okot Okidi, was not available for comment.

Tusiime continues to demand a full investigation into the matter, arguing that her family was defrauded and violently displaced from their land by individuals misusing government institutions.

Source: ankoletimes.co.ug

By Witness Radio team.

Introducing a vital radio program that urgently addresses the crucial role of the media in the face of climate change. Titled “Stamping the Law on Rights and Environment Protection,” this program is now part of the most engaging program line-up on Witness Radio, ready to make a difference.

The research–based program, which will be presented in a talk show format, focuses on a single case as they occur in communities. It will host legal experts and scholars to offer legal advice and counseling, and guide communities on steps to take to push back on land and environmental injustices they are facing.

By breaking down complex environmental and land legal frameworks into discussions and practical examples, “Stamping the Law on Land Rights and Environment Protection” empowers communities to understand their rights, demand accountability, and engage constructively with duty bearers. It’s not just a radio program—it’s a platform for justice, empowerment, and sustainable coexistence between people and the environment, inspiring change.

This radio program will feature voices from different local and indigenous communities, not to spice up the program, but to share their ordeals, including how they settled on the land, and how they have sought redress. Community stories are at the heart of our program.

The radio team envisions using the radio airwaves to simplify access to legal information, educate the masses on land and environmental laws, and empower local communities to use the legal information to demand justice from courts and quash judicial institutions. The radio program applies to all local and indigenous communities in Africa to stay awake in the current wave of land-based investments targeting communities’ land and end the degradation of the environment, and to prevent future land forced evictions and maintain peaceful coexistence in both local and indigenous communities.

Witness Radio’s program “Stamping the Law on Environment Protection” is a powerful platform dedicated to educating and empowering Ugandans about the laws governing land management and environmental protection. Through this program, legal and academic experts shall sensitize listeners to key legal frameworks, their constitutional rights, and the proper procedures for acquiring, using, and protecting land and the environment.

In recent years, especially between 1990 and 2023, Uganda has experienced prevalent forced land eviction due to different types of investments, and faced severe effects of climate change, leaving thousands of communities landless, food insecure, and malnourished.

Our first broadcast this Tuesday focuses on a review of the Kawaala zone II case, one of the most significant land eviction cases in recent years. In this case, eviction affected urban poor communities in the name of an infrastructural project, and the project implementer never wanted to compensate or resettle communities whose land was to host the project. We will delve into the details of this case and discuss the implications for similar communities.

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Join us on this insightful journey. Download the Witness Radio app from the Google Play Store or tune in live on our website at www.witnessradio.org. Your thoughts and experiences related to land and environmental issues are invaluable. Let’s engage in meaningful discussions and enjoy more informative content together, because your voice matters.