In Kabale district, authorities, led by District Resident Commissioner Godfrey Nyakahuma, have evicted and demolished structures owned by prominent businessmen, Medard Happiness Mabale and Charles Rwanika, alias Majugo. They had encroached on land at Kabale Regional Referral Hospital. The land in question included plot numbers 38 and 40 along Jackson Road in Makanga Hill. This eviction is to pave the way for an 8.58 billion-dollar project to construct a state-of-the-art Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the hospital.
Mabale and Majugo, who are well-known in Kabale district, had occupied the land without proper authorization. The government did not offer any compensation during the eviction because these individuals knowingly and corruptly acquired the land, which already had a valid title registered in the hospital’s name.
An investigation revealed that Happiness fraudulently purchased the land from the late Dr. Biryabarema, while Majugo acquired it from his wife, whose identity is withheld by security. Both individuals were former health workers at Kabale Regional Referral Hospital.
RDC Nyakahuma stated that security authorities are investigating several cases related to the illegal acquisition of hospital land, including fraudulent land title processing, the construction of permanent structures, and leasing the land to a telecom company for a network booster.
Nyakahuma also pointed out the involvement of previous Kabale District land board members, highlighting their corrupt practices that enabled the encroachment.
In early September 2023, construction of the ICU project officially began at the hospital. The 15-month project aims to provide timely and specialized health services not only to patients from Kigezi sub-region but also from Rwanda and the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, among other areas.
HASO Engineers Company Limited is responsible for the construction, with supervision provided by Arch DESIGN Limited. Unfortunately, construction work had stalled due to the occupation of the land by Mabale and Majugo, leading to the recent eviction and demolition.
