Kasasa Family Protests Alleged 50–50 Mutungo Land Deal Brokered by Retired CJ Dollo

Remarks made by retired Chief Justice Owiny Dollo during his retirement and handover ceremony have triggered a fresh controversy over the long-running Mutungo Hill land dispute involving the estate of the late businessman Dr Muhammad Buwule Kasasa and the family of the late Kabaka of Buganda, Sir Edward Walugembe Mutesa II.

While handing over office to Acting Chief Justice Dr Flavian Zeija on Monday, Justice Dollo claimed he had personally mediated and resolved the decades-old dispute, saying both families had agreed to an out-of-court settlement.

Dollo told guests that he cancelled official duties abroad to return to Kampala and conclude the mediation process after realising the matter had stagnated in court for years with no end in sight.

But the Kasasa family has come out strongly to dispute the claims, saying no valid agreement exists and that the alleged mediation was rejected by the estate’s beneficiaries.

Dr Nulu Nakabonge Kasasa, a daughter of the late businessman, said the family was neither consulted nor informed about any settlement.

“We were never informed about the deal the Chief Justice is talking about. We even asked him to recuse himself from our father’s matter,” Nakabonge said in an exclusive interview, describing the alleged agreement as fraudulent.

She added that the family had agreed in its last engagement with Justice Dollo that mediation should be abandoned and the dispute returned to the courts, following protests at his Nakasero residence over the involvement of the Mutesa family.

According to documents seen by this website, a draft settlement proposing a 50–50 sharing of the Mutungo Hill land was scheduled for signing on October 13, 2025. The process was to be overseen by Justice Dollo and involved representatives of the Kasasa family and Kabaka Mutebi’s family, led by Prince David Kintu Wasajja.

However, in a protest letter addressed to Dollo in October 2025, members of the Kasasa family objected to his role as mediator, arguing that his historical ties to Buganda and the judiciary raised concerns of bias and violated the constitutional right to a fair hearing.

They also protested the involvement of Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka, citing his connection to K&K Advocates, the law firm representing both the Mutesa II and Mutebi estates. The family argued that the Attorney General has no legal standing in the ownership dispute and is only a party in a separate compensation case against the government.

The Kasasa children further claim that the mediation process sidelined the legal adviser appointed under their father’s will, rendering any agreement procedurally defective under the Succession Act.

They also allege mismanagement of the estate, saying some beneficiaries have been left without access to education, healthcare, and shelter.

The controversy comes amid revelations by Dr Kasasa’s personal lawyer and State Minister for Lands, Dr Sam Mayanja, who recently claimed that his client died in extreme poverty despite owning a multibillion-shilling empire. Mayanja said efforts to secure payment of Shs30 billion allegedly owed to Kasasa by the government were blocked after protests from lawyers representing the Mutesa estate.

On their part, administrators of Sir Edward Mutesa II’s estate insist that Dr Kasasa fraudulently acquired the Mutungo Hill land. The Kasasa family rejects the claim, maintaining that the land was lawfully purchased from Barclays Bank after it had passed through legitimate ownership and mortgage arrangements.