Kerry Howard Mwesigwa.
KAMPALA, November 16, 2023 | Mwesigye Amos, a rather infamous “conman” was on 15th November 2023 arraigned before the Masaka Chief Magistrates Court. He was very recently arrested and charged by the Anti-Corruption Unit of the State House and the Criminal Investigations Directorate, accused of obtaining UGX 300 million (about US$ 80,000) from a one Steven Kagyenyi by false pretence.
The charge stems from an incident that occurred in 2020, when Mwesigye Amos allegedly bought 120 acres of titled land from some relatives of the late Nasanairi Kinalwa, who had no legal claim to the land. The land was owned by Frank Rushanganwa, who had inherited it from his father.
Mwesigye Amos then sold part of the land to other buyers, using forged documents and bribing some government officials to facilitate the transactions. He also hired thugs to harass and intimidate Rushanganwa and his family, who tried to reclaim their land.
Rushanganwa reported the matter to the authorities, who launched an investigation into the land grabbing scheme. They discovered that Mwesigye Amos had been involved in similar cases of land fraud in other parts of the country, such as Gomba and Kiryandongo districts, where he had displaced and exploited many people.
Mwesigye Amos was finally arrested and arraigned before the Masaka Chief Magistrates Court, where he pleaded not guilty to the charge of obtaining money by false pretence, a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison. He was remanded to prison until his next court appearance.
Land grabbing is a serious problem in Uganda, affecting the lives and livelihoods of thousands of farming families. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), land grabbing is the large-scale purchase or lease of farmland usually to outside interests, often depriving local communities of access to natural resources, exacerbating rural poverty and aggravating the risk of food crises.
The case of Mwesigye Amos is one of the many cases that the Anti-Corruption Unit of the State House, led by Lt Col Edith Nakalema, has been handling since its establishment in 2018. The unit has been working closely with other agencies, such as the Criminal Investigations Directorate, the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, the Inspectorate of Government and the Judiciary, to expose and punish the corrupt and recover public assets.
