By Mary Karugaba

The Public Accounts committee has halted developments on the 176 plots on Butabika land, citing irregularities in the sale.

Nandala Mafabi, the chairman, said: “Butabika Hospital land is government land and all those that acquired it illegally through dubious means must return it.

The committee therefore orders individuals who acquired plots in Butabika to stop further activities until the issue is settled. If anything goes wrong, those who sold the land through dubious means should be responsible.”

He handed over the case to the Criminal Investigation Department and directed that each beneficiary record a statement. Mafabi also directed the CID to get statements from officers of the Lands Commission starting with the chairman, Mayanja Nkangi.

This was after the committee discovered that the beneficiaries had transferred the plots into their names before the required time of five years. “We have discovered that most of the titles have already been transferred before five years elapse.

People bought the plots cheaply especially those in the Lands Commission and the Ministry of Lands. They then sold them immediately and expensively,” he said.

The MPs said selling land secretly was against the law.

The Government in 2003 allocated 356 of the 656 acres of land at Butabika Hospital to investors. But according to a list given to the MPs, 212.5 out of 356 acres were allocated to large investments and the rest given to 158 elite individuals.

According to the list, the beneficiaries include President Museveni’s sons-in-law Edwin Karugire (0.5 acres) and Geoffrey Kamuntu (0.5) and Kamuntu’s wife Diana (0.5).

Others include Deputy Chief of Defence Forces Lt. Gen. Ivan Koreta (1 acre), Third Deputy Premier Kirunda Kivejinja (0.5 acres), Forum for Democratic Change vice-president Sam Njuba (0.25 acres) and Col. James Mugira (1 acre). Kampala Central chairman godfrey Nyakana and his wife Sarah Kizito under her company Lady Charlotte got (0.5 acres and 0.25 acres).