Akright loses over 20 acres of land illegally acquired

The High Court Land Division in Kampala has ordered the cancellation of land measuring 20.5 acres that renowned property dealer, Akright Projects Limited, acquired fraudulently.

In a September 23 judgment, Justice John Eudes Keitirima held that Akright and Mr Amans Mutebi bought land in acres but later found out that the same land located in Kitende-Wakiso District was in hectares and never took efforts to lawfully purchase the excess land.

“It was evident that the 1st (Mr Mutebi) and 2nd (Akright) defendants discovered or found out that the land they had actually purchased was more than had earlier been sold to them. They transacted in acres but found that the acreage was in hectares,” the justice ruled.

Adding: “The 1st and 2nd defendants cannot be seen to seek protection under Section 59, 176 nor 181 of the Registration of Titles Act.  The said defendants having discovered the extra land than that which they had purchased, should have sought to legally acquire the excess land. The excess they found could not be part of what they purchased. Their actions to convert the excess land as theirs without having legally acquired it amounted to fraud.”

Court orders

The court ordered Akright and Mr Mutebi to give the acres to the Administrator General suing through Noah Kasasa Mawagali.

Court also ordered that in case Akright sold the said land, it should pay Shs200m to Mr Kasasa and the Administrator General as damages for trespass and inconvenience caused to them

The Administrator General and Mr Kasasa had contended in their court documents that the land in Busiro, Block 383, Plot 254 measuring 48.4 acres was registered in the names of the late John Baptist Kasasa, whose estate has since 1977 been administered by the Administrator General.

The judge held that the said contested land still forms part of the estate of the late Kasasa, which is still under the administration of the Administrator General and Mr Kasasa.