Kabaka pushes for eviction of UPDF camp, military sites in major land row

The High Court has merged several land cases filed by the Kabaka of Buganda against 12 district local governments and the Attorney General into one suit to be heard in Mukono.

In a ruling delivered recently, Justice Stephen Mubiru ordered that seven civil cases filed in different High Court circuits, including Masaka, Kiboga, Mubende, Lugazi, Luwero and Kampala, be consolidated with the Mukono case for joint hearing and determination.

The applicant, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, maintains that several Buganda Kingdom properties confiscated during the 1966 political crisis were returned under the Traditional Rulers (Restitution of Assets and Properties) Act of 1993. He says the restoration was later formalised through a 2013 agreement with President Yoweri Museveni.

However, the Kabaka argues that despite the restoration, various government bodies continue to occupy and use the land without paying rent, leasing it, buying it, or vacating it.

Court records show that some of the contested properties host public institutions. These include district headquarters, Uganda Prisons facilities, Bombo Military Hospital, staff quarters, Air Force barracks, Air Force Secondary School Entebbe, the UPDF camp at Kitala and the National Military Radar Centre.

The Kabaka seeks remedies for trespass, recovery of land, unjust enrichment and alleged violation of his constitutional right to property.

The Attorney General opposed the application. Government lawyers argued that the cases concern different pieces of land in separate districts. They said each case requires its own evidence, including land titles, valuation reports and testimony from district officials. They also warned that consolidation could create logistical challenges and delays.

Justice Mubiru disagreed. He ruled that the cases raise largely similar legal and factual issues.

“For consolidation to be granted, the suits do not need to be identical, but they must have a complete or substantial similarity of the issues,” the judge stated.

He said the main issue in all the cases is whether the continued occupation of restored Buganda Kingdom land by government entities is lawful.

“The central issues… relate to the enforcement of private property rights in circumstances of their restoration following a history of appropriation by Government,” Justice Mubiru ruled.

He warned that hearing the cases separately could result in conflicting judgments.

“When the same subject matter is litigated in different courts, there is a risk of inconsistent outcomes,” he noted.

The judge added that consolidation would enable the court, if necessary, to make a “global assessment of damages based on similar principles” if the Kabaka succeeds.

The court directed the Kabaka to file a consolidated plaint by March 20, 2026. The respondents will then submit their responses. A full hearing is scheduled for April 15, 2026.

The costs of the application will be decided in the main case.

The final decision is likely to affect both the Buganda Kingdom and the concerned district local governments, especially on how restored kingdom land occupied by public institutions should be managed, whether through compensation, lease agreements or other arrangements.