Two Buganda royal families are locked in a battle for ownership of a 37-acre piece of land in Lubowa which was recently earmarked for a multi-billion hospital, writes JOSEPH KIMBOWA.
On June 1, President Museveni officiated at the ground-breaking ceremony for the proposed $250m hospital complex in the upscale suburb. The project is led by Italian investor Enrica Panetta through her company called Finasi. It’s a joint venture with the government and is funded by Standard Chartered bank
Jane Ruth Aceng, the minister of Health, said that upon completion, the hospital complex will sit on 86 acres.
She added that the specialized hospital comes at an appropriate time when the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is on the increase, especially cancer.
“The challenge has been inadequate infrastructure, inadequate or late diagnosis and treatment equipment.”
President Museveni, meanwhile, noted that the hospital would cater for all the VIP cases instead of referring them abroad. The president added that the project would save Uganda $186m annually, which is spent on treating VIPs abroad. The complex will also have a medical training institute, hotel facilities, among other amenities. On top of that, the facility will use solar energy to cut costs on power.
“Once fully operational, this facility will curb down on the massive loss of foreign exchange by citizens seeking specialized treatment abroad by offering brain surgery, cardiac surgery and thereby promoting Uganda as a medical tourism destination,” Aceng noted.
ROYALS FIGHT
Behind the scenes, however, is a protracted battle for the land that has sucked in Diana Atwine, the ministry of Health permanent secretary.
The battle could delay the start of the project, which is projected to be completed within two years. One faction is led by US-based Prince Joseph Kalemera Kiggala and another by Prince Nakibinge Kimbugwe.
Last year, Nakibinge, issued a statement introducing himself and five other Buganda royals as the caretakers of the disputed land on Block 269. The others are Princes Fredrick James Jjunju, Joseph Kiyimba Jjuuko and John Ddamba Bbemba. The Princesses are: Mariam Namusisi Nasiwa and Victoria Luwedde.
But Prince Kiggala’s faction allege that only two of those listed on the document are genuine royal family members and the rest “are land agents who want to grab the contested land.”
LEGAL BATTLE
Nakibinge, through its lawyers Alaka & Co Advocates, wants the project halted until the owner- ship is resolved. Documents obtained by The Observer indicate that on May 28, they warned Roko construction, the company hired to construct the hospital, to stop all operations at the site and also warned the company officials not to step at the venue for the ground-breaking ceremony.
Following this warning, Roko officials reportedly communicated to Dr Atwine saying, they would not go to the site unless the land ownership issue is solved.
Dr Atwine, in turn, approached the team led by Prince Kiggala, which gave the ministry the go-ahead with the inauguration, promising negotiations with government at a later date.
On May 29, Kiggala, through his lawyers, Alliance advocates, wrote to Roko asking it to ignore Kimbugwe and attend the inauguration ceremony but also warned the construction company not to do anything without their consent.
“This is therefore to call upon you not to deal with the said persons in the matter as they have no legitimate interest at all in the said land. We, however, also demand that you forthwith stop your activities on the said land which are being done without our client’s knowledge, consent or permission on receipt of this letter, failure whereof we shall be constrained to institute proceedings against you…,” said Kiggala’s lawyers.
When contacted, Dr Atwine was reluctant to comment.
“You have been writing about those issues for some time, what other comment you want from me,” she said before promising to call back but by Thursday, she had not.
LONGSTANDING CONFLICT
Dr Atwine chose Kiggala’s faction because it had earlier presented to her 2008 court documents that granted Kiggala powers of administration of the estate as well as the will.
Kiggala maintains he is the only surviving administrator of this estate.The will, dated December 2, 1944, was made by Prince Yusufu Ssuuna, a son to former Buganda king Mwanga II. This 37-acre piece is part of the six square mile Mailo land left by Ssuuna.
On the ground-breaking cer- emony, president Museveni warned individuals claiming ownership of the land whose title is in government custody.
“We took 30 acres of this land to construct this hospital. There is no way anybody can success- fully claim this land,” President Museveni said.
For now, it remains unclear which of the two parties government will compensate for the project but delays in court could stall the joint venture.
