The battle between two security agencies has started on how to implement court orders. Police and the Anti-Corruption unit failed to agree on how to implement court orders on a prime property located at Plot 106 LRV 1837 Folio 11 Old Kira Road in Kampala.
It’s alleged that city tycoon Yusufu Semakula bought that property genuinely, but some people from the anti-corruption unit of the state house have sabotaged him to develop the said property. A few years back high court issued a permanent injunction against any person to tamper with the development but some elements from the state house anti-corruption unit disobeyed these orders. Recently Police cleared Yusuf Ssemakula but anti-corruption did the contrary.
Recently Police leadership sat in a meeting and warned the Anti-Corruption unit to stop disobeying court orders. This forced tycoon Ssemakula to go back to court and sue Police leadership plus Anti-Corruption unit leadership.
Before Ssemakula, the property had exchanged hands, with former owners returning to claim it. One of those former owners include Mary Orech. Not long ago, however, court issued a Permanent Injunction against Orech. In fact, Ssemakula took physical and vacant possession of the land and is currently in the process of commencing the development of a commercial building thereon.
Last week, The High Court land Division in Kampala summoned Brig. Gen Henry Isoke of the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, IGP Abas Byakagaba, Deputy IGP James Ochaya, and five others over a prime property located at Plot 106 LRV 1837 Folio 11 Old Kira Road in Kampala.
The property is owned by property mogul, Yusuf Ssemakula, having bought the same from one Seruwagi Salongo Israel some time back. Before, Ssemakula, the property had exchanged hands, with former owners returning to claim it. One of those former owners include Mary Orech. Not long ago, however, court issued a Permanent Injunction against Orech. In fact, Ssemakula took physical and vacant possession of the land and is currently in the process of commencing the development of a commercial building thereon.
The Uganda Police has since made several reports and directives confirming the Applicant’s ownership of the suit land and prohibiting any person from interfering with the Applicant’s possession thereof in the absence of any Court order to that effect.
Former owners of the prime piece of land continue to torment Ssemakula. They have on several occasions commenced frivolous criminal cases of malicious damage on the suit land against the Applicant and his agents, which have all been closed by the DPP on account of the Applicant’s undisputed ownership of the said land and “this honorable Court’s Orders of Permanent Injunction” against them.
In violation of the Court Order, the sons and daughters of the former owner have on several occasions been trespassing and/or interfering with the Applicant’s peaceful possession of the suit land with “total impunity.”
Ssemakula says that Isoke, Byakagaba, and Ochaya forcefully want to put the former owners of the property back in possession of the land in total disregard of the Court’s Order of the Permanent Injunction issued against them.
“The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Respondents’ actions of violating this honourable Court’s Order were done in their independent personal capacities and amount to an abuse of their offices which they hold in trust of the general public,” says Ssemakula. “The actions of the 6th, 7th, and 8th Respondents’ of continuing to trespass on the Applicant’s land amounts to contempt of this honorable Court’s Order of Permanent Injunction against Mary Lucy Orech (deceased) and all those claiming under her restraining them from any further trespass on the suit land,” Ssemakula said recently.
Now, Ssemakula has petitioned court over the matter. Through his lawyers of MBS Advocates, Ssemakula wants respondents held in contempt of Court Orders/ Decree issued by this Honourable Court on the 17th day of July 2020 vide HCCS No.106 of 2011.
He also wants an order that the Respondents be punished for contempt of Court Orders/ Decree by jointly paying a Court fine of Ugx.1,000,000,000/= (Uganda Shillings One Billion only) to the Court, and an order that the Respondents jointly and severally pay to the Applicant a sum of Ugx.2,000,000,000/= (Uganda Shillings Two Billion only) as General/Exemplary and/or Punitive damages.
In response, the court has set August 20, 2025, at 11 am to hear the matter. Isoke, Byakagaba, Ochaya, and five other respondents are expected to attend in person.
It is important to note that Brig General Isoke, Israel Ochwo, Joseph Ochaya, and Owona Isaac the main characters in this heist have fraudulently tried all means at their disposal to grab this land but in vain, the recent act is when they aided the daughters of Mary Lucy to get a Temporary Injunction Order while they’d failed to stay the decree from which a permanent injunction was issued against them, however, their move didn’t yield the results they hoped for as by Misc App No 3818 of 2023 High Court quashed and struck off their suit in accordance with the provisions of 0.7 r.11 of the Civil Procedure Rules and S.98 of the Civil Procedure Act for being frivolous, vexatious and an abuse of court process with costs to Mr. Ssemakula Yusuf.
Being Ignorant of the law, Isoke and his team at State House Anti-Corruption don’t know that breaching a court order tantamounts to contempt of court under the law and would result in serious sanctions, including imprisonment, fines and confiscation of personal assets.