A Ugandan woman based in the United States has issued an emotional and urgent appeal to Chief Justice Alphonse Owiny-Dollo, seeking swift intervention in what she describes as a calculated and illegal seizure of her property in Uganda.
Immaculate Nakawooya Mutumba, 68, has lived abroad for more than 45 years but has remained deeply connected to Uganda through years of investment in local real estate. In a heart-rending open letter dated April 7, 2025, she claims her properties in Kigo and Mutungo acquired for her retirement were stolen through a “systematic and orchestrated plunder” allegedly involving her former lawyers and local officials.
Nakawooya accuses her former legal team of forging documents, transferring her land without consent, and using a shell company, Organic Empire (U) Ltd, to mask the fraudulent transactions. She names Samuel Ocitti, a lawyer she hired in 2018, as a key figure in the alleged scheme, claiming he misused his position of trust to steal from her.
> “I am humbly pleading for your fast-track judicial intervention to recover and reverse my illegally seized titles,” Nakawooya wrote. “I don’t want to come home in a box. Sorrowfully, I don’t have a home to come back to.”
According to Nakawooya, a court order recently stripped her of her land rights after 18 years of continuous possession, without any clear reason given by the judge. She says her appeal for an explanation was denied, while construction on her land continues unchecked.
> “My plea to stop building was due this Wednesday, but it was delayed. I know it will also be denied,” she added, expressing fear that the justice system is being manipulated to protect wrongdoers.
She further alleges that Ocitti, who reportedly was not licensed to practice law during part of their working relationship, received over UGX 200 million from her over several years funds she says were for his education, family, and personal emergencies.
“I treated him like a son,” Nakawooya said. “He called me ‘Mama.’ I never expected such cruelty.”
The dispute has also taken a darker turn on the ground. Nakawooya claims her land in Kigo is now occupied by armed individuals, one of whom she identifies as Geofrey Bamwine, reportedly connected to elite security forces. She alleges these men have harassed her local agents, threatened area officials, and even disrupted a government-led site visit.
Amid the chaos, Nakawooya praised Phiona Barungi, a government representative who she says took decisive action to halt some of the unauthorized construction. “She showed me grace and empathy,” Nakawooya wrote.
The property dispute, however, has also laid bare troubling claims of corruption and negligence. Nakawooya says her complaints to Uganda’s Law Council filed in March 2023 remain unresolved, and that multiple lawyers have since abandoned her case under suspicious circumstances.
In a direct appeal to President Yoweri Museveni, Nakawooya invoked his publicly stated opposition to land grabbing and illegal evictions:
“Mr. President, you are the Fountain of Honor, the most admired leader in Africa. If, as some claim, you are involved in relocating others onto my estate, I beg you not to inflict more pain. If not, I ask your forgiveness and plead for your powers to help me recover my land.”
Now battling health challenges and rapidly dwindling resources, Nakawooya says she is determined to continue fighting. “They are simply waiting for me to die so they can loot the rest. But I am not ready to give up.”
Her appeal is gaining traction within diaspora communities and among land rights advocates, who are calling for an independent investigation and urgent government action.
Ugandan authorities have not yet issued a formal statement regarding the matter.
Nakawooya’s case underscores the urgent need for reform in Uganda’s land management and judicial systems, where legal loopholes and alleged corruption continue to erode the rights of property owners both local and abroad.
Our efforts to reach on the other warring party for a comment by press time were futile.
