Mukono High Court Deputy Registrar Hussein Ntalo Nasulu summoned the parties for a hearing of an application filed by Godfrey Kirumira’s lawyer, Francis Ssebowa. The application sought to add an investor to the main consolidated suits, No. 322 of 2021 and No. 351 of 2022.
The move to add the investor was widely viewed as a tactic intended to delay the hearing of the main case, which is already scheduled for December 12, 2025, before Justice Stephen Mubiru, the head of Mukono High Court.
Despite the significance of the matter, the registrar had issued the notice of summons on Thursday, November 6, 2025, giving the respondents only two days to file their counter-submissions. The unusually short timeline raised serious concern among the parties.
When the session convened at 9:00am on November 10, the deputy registrar apparently not expecting a large turnout was met by numerous lawyers involved in the main suit. Surprised by the presence of so many counsels, he declined to hear the application and instead directed that the matter be handled by Justice Mubiru on December 12, 2025.
The registrar’s decision came after a heated exchange initiated by Kirumira’s lawyer Ssebowa, prompting him to refer the application to justice Mubiru for hearing “to please Ssebowa.”
This statement drew reactions from other lawyers, especially the investor’s lawyer who questioned why a registrar would defer a matter simply to appease one party.
Counsel Ssebowa challenged the registrar, arguing that if he lacked jurisdiction, he should formally refer the application to a judge for determination. The responded by asking Ssebowa what he wanted him to do for him.
Ssebowa pressed the registrar to allow oral submissions, but the registrar declined.
At this point, the investor’s lawyer requested the registrar to follow proper procedure by permitting parties to file written submissions that would guide Justice Mubiru’s ruling on December 12.
The registrar, however, insisted that each party should contact the judge directly.
Following the proceedings, all parties began preparing for the hearing scheduled for December 12, 2025.
However, on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, the Electronic Court Case Management Information System (ECCMIS) indicated that the application would be heard by Justice Mubiru.
Kirumira, who has been engaged in the court process for nearly five years, has repeatedly attempted to prevent the main suit, No. 351, from proceeding.
His actions appear aimed at creating confusion and influencing the handling of the case by different judicial officers.
SUIT 351 OF 2021
Kirumira advanced a loan of 400 million shillings and took, as collateral, the title for Plot 393, Block 113, measuring 85 acres. He placed a CAVEAT on the title as security for the loan but later removed it and transferred the title into his name without any valid sale agreement. He further paid only 1.2 million shillings in stamp duty, despite the government valuer assessing the STAMP DUTY at 450 million shillings.
Such actions constitute a criminal offence. It is expected that after the hearing on December 12, 2025, the title will not only be restored to the rightful owner, but Kirumira may also face criminal liability, including possible imprisonment. This explains why he has spent five years attempting to prevent the main suit from being heard.
SUIT 322 OF 2022
In an attempt to gain access to and sell the 85-ACRE property, Kirumira tried to construct an illegal road across the land. When the Police intervened and stopped the activity, he claimed that the land was his kibanja, allegedly purchased from a person who was later discovered to have died 20 years earlier.
A Forensic examination conducted at the Nakawa Headquarters confirmed that the thumbprint on the supposed kibanja transfer documents actually belonged to one of Kirumira’s workers.
PLAN B
As his kibanja claim came under scrutiny, Kirumira shifted his position and began asserting that the land formed part of a National Forestry Authority (NFA) forest reserve.
He argued that, on this basis, the existing freehold titles should be cancelled by the NFA and subsequently allocated to him at no cost.
NFA
Regarding the alleged NFA forest reserve within Namanve Industrial Park, multiple landmark rulings by the Mukono High Court have confirmed that no such forest reserve exists and that all freehold titles in the area are valid.
Despite these clear precedents, Kirumira has repeated the same arguments he has been advancing for more than five years. Consequently, this application lacks merit and should be dismissed by the court.
JUSTICE BATEMAÂ
In a ruling delivered on December 23, 2021, Justice Batema specifically addressed the issue of the alleged forestry reserve and concluded unequivocally that no such reserve existed.
JUSTICE DAVID MATOVU’S RULING
On April 8, 2025, Justice Matovu, in an application filed against the Commissioner of Land Registration, reaffirmed that no forest reserve exists on the disputed land and that the freehold titles are valid.
IN A SEPARATE RULING ON AN APPLICATION FILED BY KIRUMIRA AGAINST SIX SENIOR POLICE OFFICERS, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, AND THE INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE, WHO HAD EARLIER DETERMINED THAT THE LAND WAS FREEHOLD AND LAWFULLY REMOVED KIRUMIRA FROM IT, JUSTICE MATOVU AGAIN CONFIRMED THE VALIDITY OF THE TITLES. KIRUMIRA HAS TAKEN THIS RULING AT THE COURT OF APPEAL
THIS RETAREATES KIRUMIRA’S BELIEF THAT HE IS ABOVE THE LAW.
ANDREW MUBIRU (BUTABIKA)
Andrew Mubiru, an associate of Kirumira, subsequently filed a new suit against 17 investors, alleging human rights violations and claiming that the government had failed in its duties. In this landmark case, he sought to have more than 1,000 acres of developed freehold land declared part of a forest reserve, cancelled, and reallocated to Kirumira while excluding Plot 393, the 85-acre parcel linked to Kirumira, from cancellation.
Justice Matovu dismissed the suit after the locus visit, holding that it lacked merit to bring claims against four government institutions and twelve investors, especially in light of prior High Court decisions confirming the validity of the freehold titles.
The matter is now before the Court of Appeal, where the 17 respondents, represented by different lawyers, are pursuing COSTS against Mubiru. In the meantime, he has continued initiating additional suits against other investors in the industrial park, actions that many view as attempts to exert pressure for financial gain. His conduct has raised concern among stakeholders, who argue that continued litigation of this nature disrupts ongoing development despite numerous High Court rulings on the matter.
Mubiru is commonly known as “BUTABIKA” in the Industrial Park.
AIGP, NAGURU POLICE HEADQUATERSÂ Â
In the final ruling, the matter involving the AIGP at Naguru Police Headquarters and Kirumira addressed concerns that his [Kirumira] repeated claims and arguments were disrupting investors and hindering ongoing projects without valid justification.
During this period, Kirumira sought support from his friend, Presidential Advisor Gilbert Bukenya, arguing that the disputed land formed part of a forest reserve allegedly linked to Buganda and should therefore be allocated to him at no cost.
Bukenya, in his public comments, expressed disagreement with the High Court rulings delivered by senior judges in Mukono, maintaining his view that the 1,000 acres in question should be treated as a forest reserve and handed over to Kirumira accordingly.
These statements stood in contrast to the court’s established findings, which had repeatedly confirmed that no forest reserve exists on the land. Therefore, the 88-acre plot fraudulently stolen by Kirumira, who, paid a stamp duty of sh1.20m must be returned to the original owner.
