A Senior Commissioner of Police, Mr Timothy Halango, is facing allegations of irregular acquisition and attempted takeover of a disputed parcel of land in Mawembe Zone, Kagumba Sub-county in Kamuli District, amid a prolonged conflict involving residents, a family estate, and local leaders.
Mr Halango, who previously served on the Police Standby Disciplinary Tribunal and currently holds the position of Deputy Director in the Directorate of Welfare, Production and Sports as well as Chairman of Police FC, is accused by residents and members of the family of the late Philip Oboi of attempting to evict occupants from the contested land, which they say has long been under their use.
The dispute centres on a 66-acre piece of land, which residents claim has been occupied and cultivated by sitting tenants for years. Some residents allege that Mr Halango initially accessed the land as a tenant engaged in sugarcane farming before later attempting to formalise ownership through what they describe as questionable sale agreements.
According to several occupants who spoke on condition of anonymity, crop gardens have been destroyed during attempts to assert control over the land, and disputed documents were allegedly used to justify ownership claims. They further allege that a land sale agreement was fraudulently backdated and processed in collaboration with a local LCII chairperson.
One resident claimed that the agreement bears a 2019 date stamp, despite assertions that official stamping systems in the area were only introduced later. The same resident also alleged that some of the witnesses listed on the agreement were already deceased at the time of the purported transaction.
Tensions escalated recently when residents and local leaders reportedly intervened to stop a tractor belonging to Mr Halango from ploughing the disputed land, citing ongoing ownership disagreements.
Appearing before Kamuli Deputy Resident District Commissioner Adonia Muguwa, Mr Halango dismissed the allegations, insisting that all transactions were conducted lawfully and with members of the Oboi family.
He said he initially rented the land from the late Philip Oboi and later entered into purchase agreements involving both the deceased and his sons.
“I do not have the locus to resolve family disputes, but the same person who rented the land to me is the one who later sold me the initial 45 acres,” Mr Halango said.
He further explained that after the death of Mr Oboi, his sons and other family representatives allegedly requested additional funds for burial-related expenses, with an understanding that part of the land would be transferred in return. He claims that through a series of transactions, he acquired 56.6 acres out of the 60.6 acres he initially occupied as a tenant, at a price of Shs1.6 million per acre, leaving about 10.6 acres with the family.
However, the dispute has continued to deepen, with local leaders expressing concern over growing tensions in the area.
Justine Mpindi, the Kagumba Sub-county female councillor, said the matter has persisted for a long time and warned that it risks escalating further if not urgently resolved. She questioned inconsistencies in the family’s account of the transactions, noting public statements made during the burial of the late Oboi that he had only rented the land out for several years.
Kagumba Sub-county LCIII chairperson Bernard Kempaka also accused some security officers of intimidating residents and interfering with the dispute, alleging that threats of arrest have been made against those opposing Mr Halango’s actions. He said local leaders feel pressured by the involvement of senior police officers and called for impartial investigations.
“We are facing intimidation from district police officers who appear to be protecting one of their own. This undermines justice and due process,” he said.
Meanwhile, Robinah Nakitende, an 80-year-old widow among the long-time occupants, alleged that part of the land may have been sold without full family consent. She denied claims that her late husband had ever sold any portion of the land to Mr Halango, insisting that the family’s allocation of land was made during his lifetime and not transferred through sale.
Authorities in Kamuli have confirmed that efforts are underway to convene a reconciliation meeting involving all parties in an attempt to resolve the dispute peacefully.
Kamuli Deputy Resident District Commissioner Adonia Mafumo said government is monitoring the matter closely and will ensure a fair hearing for all sides.
The dispute comes against a backdrop of heightened scrutiny over land transactions in the area, where earlier this year local authorities arrested the LCII chairperson of Kibuye Parish in Kagumba Sub-county over alleged forgery linked to a separate but related land conflict involving the estate of the late Philip Oboi.
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