President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has stepped into a bitter land dispute involving businessman Samuel Brian Ssegawa and Dr. Charles Lugero over a contested plot near Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, bringing the two rival claimants under renewed scrutiny by the Lands Ministry.

At the centre of the dispute is Kibuga Block 5 Plot 3531 in Kiwonvu Cell, Mulago 2 Ward, Kawempe Division, a piece of land that has attracted competing claims, conflicting government decisions and a court battle over ownership.

The President’s intervention has prompted Lands, Housing and Urban Development Minister Judith Nabakooba to summon Ssegawa and Dr. Lugero for a meeting to examine their documents and establish who has a lawful claim to the property.

“We shall convene a meeting very soon to establish the rightful owners of this land. The President wants us to compensate Ssegawa, but it will only be done if he is entitled to compensation,” Nabakooba said.

The dispute dates back to 2024, when the Uganda Land Commission (ULC) allocated the property to Ssegawa under Minute 13/2024(a)(226). A leasehold certificate of title was subsequently issued in his name as LRV KCCA 619 Folio 9, Kibuga Block 5 Plot 3531.

The allocation was immediately challenged by Mulago National Referral Hospital, which argued that the land formed part of its property and that, as the user of the land, it had not issued a “no objection” to the allocation.

Title cancelled

On February 6th, 2026, the ULC wrote to the Commissioner for Land Registration saying it had rescinded the allocation and asking for Ssegawa’s title to be cancelled.

The Commissioner notified the registered proprietor and scheduled a hearing for June 4th, 2026. Before that hearing could take place, however, a presidential directive issued in April ordered the immediate cancellation of the certificate.

The Commissioner cancelled the title on May 20th under Instrument No. KCCA-0016990.
Ssegawa challenged the decision in the High Court, arguing that the cancellation had been unlawful.

On July 7th, the High Court quashed the cancellation and ordered that his title be restored within 30 days.
Ssegawa insists that he is a legitimate kibanja holder on the land and says he is ready to produce documents supporting his claim.

“It’s unfortunate that the President was given wrong information. I’m ready to present my documents to support my ownership,” he said.

He also rejected allegations that the land was unlawfully allocated to him, maintaining that his interest in the property is legitimate.

Rival claims
The dispute has also spilled into the operations of the two men’s businesses.
Ssegawa accuses Dr. Lugero of interfering with his business, saying building materials placed around his structure have affected the operations of his pharmacy.

Dr. Lugero, who holds a title to the property and is developing a high-rise building on the site, has a different account. He says Ssegawa has blocked access routes to his building, making construction and access difficult.

“There is no way you can have a plot in Kampala without an access road. My concern is that Ssegawa’s structure be removed,” Dr Lugero said.

The Kiwonvu Cell Chairperson, Seviri Kawooya said both men had ownership claims, adding that Ssegawa acquired his plot in 2008.

“Each of them has ownership of their plots. I made the land agreement when Ssegawa was buying during that time,” Kawooya said.

Minister orders access restored

As the ownership dispute is being examined, Minister Nabakooba has ordered the removal of building materials blocking access to Ssegawa’s business.

She also directed both parties to submit their land documents and other evidence to help the ministry establish their respective ownership and occupancy claims.

The intervention comes at a time of heightened scrutiny of land allocations involving public institutions, where competing claims by government agencies and private individuals have increasingly ended up in administrative and court disputes.

The forthcoming meeting is expected to put Ssegawa and Dr. Lugero’s competing documents under scrutiny as the Lands Ministry seeks to establish the lawful status of the disputed property and determine what, if any, compensation may be due.