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Ndeeba church saga: Court blocks Shs3.8b pay to Dodoviko
Kampala business man Dodoviko Mwanje in the dock at the High Court in Kampala yesterday. PHOTO | ABUBAKER LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- Justice Zeija’s orders followed an application filed by Ms Lucy Nansubuga, the administrator of the estate of the late Evelyne Nachwa, the alleged owner of the land
The Principal Judge, Dr Flavian Zeija, has issued an order, stopping government from paying Shs3.8b to Kampala businessman Dodoviko Mwanje as compensation for the disputed Ndeeba Church land.
Justice Zeija’s orders followed an application filed by Ms Lucy Nansubuga, the administrator of the estate of the late Evelyne Nachwa, the alleged owner of the land.
Ms Nansubuga had sought orders of court, staying the proposed payment to the businessman until the final disposal of all pending cases regarding ownership of the contested land.
This was after she challenged the parliamentary resolution contained in the May 11, 2021 adhoc committee report that approved the payment to Mr Dodoviko.
Court had earlier ruled that the businessman is the rightful owner of land comprised in Kibuga Block 7 Plot 39 at Mengo where the now demolished St Peters Church was situated.
The aggrieved Nansubuga says she was not consulted by Parliament’s adhoc committee before making a recommendation to government to pay Mr Dodoviko yet she has the rightful information over ownership of the disputed land.
She further argues before the Principal Judge that several appeals have been lodged to challenge the ruling of Justice Eudes Keitirima, which handed the church land to Mr Dodoviko, and that principles of fairness dictate that all payments must await conclusion of all court processes.
In April last year, Mr Dodoviko and Mr Ivan Katongole, a KCCA urban planner, were charged before court in Makindye for conspiring with several senior police officers and other people to demolish St Peter’s Church in Ndeeba.
On August 9, 2020, the more than 40-year-old church was razed following a longstanding land wrangle between the church leadership and businessman Dodoviko.
