In a disturbing incident last Friday night, unidentified individuals dug up and removed four bodies from a graveyard in Bukondo Village, Namayumba Sub-county, Wakiso District. The land in question, spanning five acres, is owned by Mr. Jude Ssebaggala, and this unsettling event is the latest development in an ongoing land dispute.
The family alleges that the land’s administrator collaborated with undisclosed parties before selling the property for a second time. In 2010, Mr. Ssebaggala had purchased the land from Ms. Dazy Nassiwa, who managed the land on behalf of her late aunt, Anna Nazibanja. The family holds a land title received from the administrator at the time of purchase, but they were in the process of transferring the ownership from Nazibanja’s name when complications arose.
According to Mr. Lawrence Kigozi, who leads the family, they had been struggling to secure the necessary funds for the ownership transfer. However, they recently discovered that Ms. Nassiwa had allegedly conspired with others to sell the land again. The property is now reportedly in the possession of Mr. Maxwell Katumba, who supposedly acquired it from Mr. Francis Karuzandaalo. Ms. Nassiwa had the land title changed into her name and later into Mr. Karuzandaalo’s name before it ultimately ended up with Mr. Katumba.
Mr. Kigozi has appealed to the Ministry of Lands to intervene in their situation, as the whereabouts of their deceased relatives’ remains remain unknown.
When questioned, Mr. Katumba denied any involvement in the exhumation of the bodies, stating that he had purchased the land and was paying for it as agreed upon. He declined to disclose the identity of the person from whom he acquired the land.
Mr. Frank Wampamba, a relative of Nassiwa, confirmed that they had indeed sold the land to Mr. Ssebaggala as a family, with the understanding that he would handle the land title transfer. However, circumstances took an unexpected turn.
Mr. Moses Kibalama, the vice chairperson of Bukondo Village, expressed his condemnation of the incident, emphasizing that the community had not been informed about the exhumation.
Currently, two male suspects are in custody at Namayumba Police Station, facing allegations related to the disturbing incident. Police in Wakiso District continue their investigation into the matter.
