The dispute over Katanga land near Wandegeya has taken a new twist as city pastor Godfrey Luwaga has sought to evict Kibanja holders in violation of court orders.
Pastor Luwaga, the director of Nanziza Construction Company Limited is accused jointly of Makerere University administration of conniving to forcefully take over part of the area owned by Pr Daniel Walugembe.
Pastor Luwaga is also the head of City of the Lord Church in Kalerwe, Kawempe which in March 2006 collapsed and killed worshippers.
In June, 2026, the Land Division of the High Court threw out the case in which Makerere University had sought to evict Pastor Walugembe from Katanga Valley land.
The court ordered Makerere University to pay legal costs incurred by Pastor Walugembe citing abuse of court process by filing two Court cases against Pastor Walugembe in the High Court and in the Court of Appeal.
It is alleged that in 2025, Pastor Luwaga through his Nanziza Construction Company Limited entered a Memorandum of Understanding with Makerere University in which he was purportedly given two plots on Katanga Land.
According to the documents, the land given to Pastor Luwaga is adjacent to Mulago Hospital Mortuary which consist of a washing Bay, Garages and buildings housing shops; all under Pastor Walugembe.
However, on Friday, there was tension among Washing Bay workers and shop operators after the chairperson of Busia Zone announced a meeting to be addressed by the Head of State House Land Protection Unit Brig. Gen. Moses Lukyamuzi without prior notice.
A section of people objected to the meeting alleging that the meeting was being used as a ploy to demolish their workplaces without following the due process of the law.
Darious Muteesa, one of the operators in the area described the move as an abuse of authority reasoning that the call for the meeting was intended to disrupt their business operations.
“It is unfortunate that after losing all cases in court, Makerere University is colluding with Pastor Luwaga to evict people who are lawfully in occupation of their bibanja,” said Muteesa adding that they have information that the two accused parties are seeking to demolish their buildings.
According to Muteesa, the university administrators have misled the government officials at State House Land Unit using political leaders to cause an investigation into a matter already settled by court.
Samuel Isooba, the chairperson of Busia Zone in Wandegeya described the move as a security concern to the area and asked the worrying parties to settle their disputes in courts of law to avoid inconveniences in the area.
“We received a letter from the State House Unit for Land and Environment led by Brig Lukyamuzi stating that a person (Luwaga) had complained that Makerere University handed him a portion of Katanga land to take care of. So they investigated a case and they were coming to the locus to give us a report,” he said.
According to Isooba, the portion given to Pastor Luwaga is already occupied by car washers who also claim that Makerere University first gave them the area to develop it.
He said that the car washers are just caretakers without any document but demanding for compensation
“… as we waited for the meeting to receive the report, the situation turned into a security concern due to threats of fights. We are aware that the land belongs to Makerere University but the bibanja are owned by different people,” Isooba added.
Deputy Resident City Commissioner, Lukka Kagenyi said that they got security information about a possible violence which forced them to advise Brig Lukyamuzi not to come.
“The land in Katanga belongs to Makerere University but the Kibanja belongs to Pastor Walugembe. We are aware of the Memorandum of understanding between Makerere and Nanziza but it was done illegally without consulting the Kibanja holder,” he said.
He advised Makerere university administrators to sit with Pastor Walugembe for a peaceful resolution of their dispute and to avoid any violence.
When contacted, Pastor Luwaga declined to speak saying he preferred to speak to anyone face to face.
In 2015, the High Court ruled that the Katanga Valley land was occupied by four family members and their licensees, among them Pastor Walugembe who are now bonafide occupants whose rights are well protected under the laws governing ownership of land.
The four family members are Jonathan Yosamu Masembe, Blasio Buyisi, George Kalimu and Samalie Nambogga. They are battling with Makerere University and the Commissioner Land Registration over cancellation of their land titles and ownership of the land by Makerere.
