Senior Lands Officer Charged Over Selling Government Land

A senior lands officer attached to Mbale City has been remanded on charges of abuse of office and fraudulent procurement of a certificate of title after being accused of facilitating the illegal transfer of government land to a private businessman.

Emmanuel Paul Kigaye, the Senior Land Management Officer for Mbale City, appeared before the Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court following investigations by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, working jointly with the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).

The accused was charged with abuse of office and fraudulent procurement of a certificate of title. Court remanded him until July 16, 2026.

According to investigators, Kigaye allegedly committed the offences between September 2019 and May 2023 while serving as Senior Land Management Officer in Mbale City.

Prosecutors allege that he unlawfully caused the Registrar of Titles at the Mbale MZO to prepare a certificate of title for Plot 27, Bishop Masaba Road, in the name of businessman Wamatsembe Moses.

The prosecution contends that the action was irregular because the land had already been allocated to the Dairy Development Authority, making the processing of a new title unlawful.

Investigators further allege that Kigaye fraudulently processed and secured the registration of a freehold certificate of title, referenced as FRV MBA199 Folio 22 under Instrument Number MBA-0009476, for the 0.5040-hectare property located at Plot 27, Bishop Masaba Road in Fairway Cell. The title was reportedly issued in the name of Wamatsembe Moses.

The case is part of ongoing efforts by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit and other law enforcement agencies to crack down on the fraudulent acquisition and illegal allocation of public land.

The matter will return to court on July 16, 2026, when Kigaye is expected to reappear as proceedings continue.