Basajjabalaba dragged to court over land grabbing

Apr 14, 2016

The land in question is located close to Basajjabalaba's palatial residential apartments.

Hassan Basajjabalaba, the proprietor of Kampala International University (KIU), has been dragged to the Land Division court over land grabbing and trespass.

Joseph Samula who filed the suit on April 5, 2016, accuses Bassajabalaba and a one Goodra Behakanira of conniving to fraudulently take over his land located at Bwebajja, Sisa Sub-county in Wakiso district, and demolish property worth over sh20m.

The land in question is located close to Basajjabalaba's palatial residential apartments, Satellite City in Bwebajja along Entebbe road.

It is alleged that he has erected an extension of his apartments on the land.

Samula alleges that he bought the land from some of the children of the late Everisto Kivumbi in 2005 at sh4m.

"Immediately after purchase, the plaintiff (Samula) took effective occupation of the said land and started growing simple crops like maize and embarked on construction of a residential house," reads part of his plaint.

He said that, he was surprised when he visited his land in 2011, after absence of about eight months, and found his structures demolished and his property trespassed on.

According to him, the land was sold to Basajjabalaba by Behakanira who is allegedly one of the beneficiaries of Kivumbi's property.

Samula stated that upon finding out that his property had been sold off illegally without his authorization, he immediately reported the matter to police but since then, it is still under investigations.

Through his lawyers from Kaggwa-Owoyesigire and Co Advocates, Samula said that he also reported to the LC1 and when summoned, Basajabalaba promised to compensate him.

However, he (Bassajabalaba) failed to live up to his promise.

He said that as a result of the accused's' actions, he immensely lost income, was deprived of his property and made to languish in rentals which also depleted his earnings and savings.

"The defendants' (Basajjabalaba and Behakanira) actions of forcefully constructing onto the plaintiffs (Samula's) land, making threats to neighbours and grabbing the land are high handed, unlawful, uncouth and illegal," he said.
He now wants court to declare that he is the owner of the land and has lawful interests in the Kibanja, and that Basajjabalaba and Behakanira are trespassers.

He has also asked court to either evict Basajabalaba from the land or order him to pay sh60m as compensation for his interests in the land. On top of the compensation, Samula wants sh20.1m as special damages.

Meanwhile, the court has summoned against Basajjabalaba and his co-accused to file their defence within 15 days.

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