Seven Charged Over Attempted Grab of Kabaka’s Kaazi Land
The Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala has charged seven people accused of attempting to seize the contested 120-acre Kaazi scouting site, a property belonging to the Kabaka of Buganda under the Uganda Scouts Association.
The suspects—Barugahare Mujuni Patrick (70), Butumbwire Stephen (70), Mugisha John (85), Musoke Stephen Brain (64), Mununuzi Alex (32), Orwanga Michael Richard (58), and Anyango Francis (59)—were arraigned before the court in Kololo on Thursday, August 21, 2025.
According to a CID charge sheet, the group allegedly stormed the Kaazi land on June 24, 2025, with intent to “take possession of land comprised in LRV 1693 Folio 5 [Kyadondo Block 273 Plot 5] belonging to the Uganda Scouts Association, in a violent manner; that is: by collecting an unusual number of people and breaking into the office of the Uganda Scouts Association, entered and graded the said land.”
They now face five counts, including forcible entry, unlawful occupation, malicious damage to property, and conspiracy to commit a felony.
Prosecutors further allege that the suspects committed forcible detainer by “holding possession of the land in a manner likely to cause a breach of peace or reasonable apprehension of a breach of peace against the Uganda Scouts Association who is entitled by law to have possession of the said land.”
Investigations also link the group to the destruction of four kitchen houses, four latrine structures, four water tanks, water pipes, a watch tower, an arena platform and trees between June and August this year—facilities belonging to the Uganda Scouts Association.
A Land With a Storied Past
The Kaazi site is steeped in history. First registered to Kabaka Daudi Chwa II in 1923, the land was leased to the Uganda Scouts Association in 1948 for camping purposes. Though the monarchy was abolished in 1967, the land was returned to Buganda under the 1993 Traditional Rulers (Restitution of Assets and Properties) Act.
In 2020, the High Court ruled in favour of the Kabaka, reaffirming his ownership and canceling fraudulent claims. That decision was later contested by State Minister for Lands, Dr. Sam Mayanja, who attempted to nullify the Kabaka’s title and deregister the Buganda Land Board.
But Justice Bonny Isaac Teko issued a landmark injunction, halting the Minister’s directives and preserving the Kabaka’s rights over Kaazi.
Another Chapter in the Kaazi Saga
The latest arrests mark a new flashpoint in the long-running battle over the site, which remains central both to Uganda’s scouting heritage and Buganda’s cultural legacy. With a court injunction still standing, observers believe these prosecutions could prove decisive in reaffirming the rule of law and protecting the Kabaka’s land from renewed encroachment.
