Gen Henry Tumukunde sighted in Land selling scandal

Hajji said Lt. General Henry Tumukunde was introduced to him by a Real Estate Property Agent called Morris Nuwagaba in September 2007 and the subject matter was that, General Henry Tumukunde ( by then a serving officer at the rank of Brigadier in the UPDF) had 25 acres  of land at Kachanga Landing site, Railway Quarter Zone, Portbell village Luzira, Nakawa Division Kampala, which he was purportedly selling.

Tumukunde told Hajji that he already had a NEMA Certificate issued to his company M/S Fish Eagle Ltd, and that soon he was going to get a certificate of title from Kampala District Land Board. He further told Hajji that he had procured the land and that it was in his possession and that he had deployed his veterans to guard it and protect his interests.

Hajji Mohammed accompanied by his wife and guided by Morris Nuwagaba, a Real Property Agent visited the land and inspected it and after the visit, Hajji negotiated with General Tumukunde in the presence of his wife and he pleaded with Hajji that he had just been released from prison, and he lacked money to send his children back to the United Kingdom where they had been studying. Tumukunde said he needed money quickly to enable him pay for the fees, transport fares and other requirements of his children while they would be at school in the UK.

After protracted negotiations, the two parties entered into a purchase agreement and agreed at a purchase price of UGX 1,800,000,000 (One Billion Eight Hundred Million Shillings Only). Hajji Mohammed then made a deposit through his company M/S Trustnak Finance Ltd  of USD 400,000 ( Four Hundred Thousand US Dollars) at an exchange rate of USD 1745 leaving a balance of UGX 1,102,000, 000. He paid Tumukunde in the presence of his wife, Morris Nuwagaba, his company lawyer Brian Kagwa, the company accountant Jeremiah Muwambi, a lawyer called Alex and other people.

Addressing the press at his home in Kololo on Thursday, Hajji Mohammed said it later turned out that Lt. Gen Henry Tumukunde had never applied for the land in the issue to the Kampala District Land Board nor the Uganda Land Commission, which are the authorities entrusted with the management of public land.

Hajji further told the media that Tumukunde had made personal commitments in the purchase agreement to pay the money back in case of any failure whatsoever to procure the land. “ I waited for the title in vain. He started ignoring my calls whenever i called him to demand for the land title or the money.

The property Agent Morris Nuwagaba organised several meetings, one mediated by Hon. General Kahinda Otafiire and he promised to refund the money but he once ignored to do so.

It was later established that the land in question had been allocated to a company belonging to veterans called Portbell Veterans Development Co. Ltd, who in turn sold the land to Hon. Henry Banyenzaki and ROLCO CORPORATION (U) LTD whose Director is the son of late President Gen. Tito Okello.

Hajji called on President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to cause the prosecution of Gen Tumukunde for the crimes of disgraceful and scandalous conduct of a serving Officer of UPDF as of 3/9/2007.

“Brigadier Henry Tumukunde defrauded me of USD. 400,000 purposely to sell to me land which he didn’t own or had equitable expectations of ownership.

“I further appeal to H.E the President of Uganda and Fountain of Honour to cause the Government of Uganda where the then Brigadier Henry Tumukunde who was a serving UPDF Officer on 3rd /9/2007, to pay me the UDD.400,000 with interest at a commercial rate of 24% from the date of taking the money until the date of payment in full. I pray that the government pays for the fraudulent conduct of its soldier Brigadier Henry Tumukunde. I am sickly, I have been operated on fives times and i have cancer,” Hajji Mohammed said.

Hajji Mohammed also doubles as the Chairman of Coca-Cola Company in Uganda.

The land is in issue is now the current Miami Beach Luzira.