Joyce Lutaaya, a key figure in a land dispute on the Mbeya Island in Mukono district has turned her back on the law, and skipped police and court summons.

Lutaaya was first summoned by the investigators both at the Mukono Police Division and the KMP-East-Jinja Road Police Station, which serves as the Regional Police hub.

The Mukono summons were delivered by the deputy OC CID IP Catherine Amoding on August 27, 2023. At the regional level, summons were delivered by D/Sgt. Martin Ombaki physically at her boutique located at Garden City on September 9, 2023.

Sgt. Ombaki also on September 22, 2023, delivered summons to Lutaya’s lawyers' chambers on top making direct telephone calls to her.

Joyce Lutaaya is not only defiant to police but also courts of law, despite the seven court sessions at the High Court about the duping matter, she has declined to appear.

On March 13, this year, Lady Justice Florence Nakachwa Dollo, the Deputy Resident Judge of Mukono High Court ordered George Muhangi, the legal representative of Major Mark Wanyama, who is jointly accused together with Lutaaya of a deceitful transaction to ensure that both respondents appear before the court.

“Make sure that you come with all your clients as indicated in all the applications. The court will not tolerate people who sell land to others and then disappear in circumstances when they are needed. They should be present, not on Zoom,” Justice Nakachwa ordered.

Despite adjourning the matter to March 22, still Joyce Lutaaya declined to appear. Earlier this month, Major Wanyama together with his lawyer Muhangi told the court that Lutaaya was out of the country.

However, their statements contradicted Joyce Lutaaya’s lawyer from Kaggwa and Kaggwa advocates who later told the court that his client was heedless about the summons.

The security and court summons’ intent is to unravel the intricacies of a dubious land transaction allegedly orchestrated by Lutaaya on Mbeya Island.

However, Lutaaya chose to remain elusive, steadfastly refusing to cooperate with the investigation.

Her reluctance to respond to these official summons has induced suspicion over her actions within the community.

It is alleged that she received a significant assurance from Wanyama, who has pledged to protect her in the event of any summons.

Wanyama has consistently attended on her behalf whenever she is summoned, which raises concerns of influency peddling involving the police, seemingly resulting in little to no action being taken.

Background

Businessman Twinamasiko made payment for the seven-acre land at Mbeya Island, disbursing a total sum of sh70m. This financial transaction occurred on two separate occasions, precisely on November 6 and 20.

Twinamasiko executed these payments via his Dfcu bank account, with the recipient being Lutaaya's Nino Boutique account held at Standard Chartered Bank.

Surprisingly, subsequent events unfolded with a disheartening twist. Lutaaya, in a distressing turn of events, allegedly entered into collusion with Major Wanyama, ultimately leading to Twinamasiko's eviction from the land.

The motivation behind this collaboration seemed to revolve around the enticing offer of an additional sh5m for each acre of land transferred from Twinamasiko's ownership to Major Wanyama's.

Shockingly, Major Wanyama resorted to aggressive measures to secure the land. He then forcefully occupied the property, deploying armed military personnel to prevent Twinamasiko from accessing or utilizing it.

Furthermore, the senior army officer's actions resulted in significant property damage and destruction, including injuries inflicted upon the casual workers at Twinamasiko's farm.