Court Sets October Hearing for 14-Year Land Fraud Case Against Businessman

The Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court has fixed October 7, 2026, as the hearing date for a 14-year-old land fraud case in which Kampala businessman David Ssegulani is accused of forging the signature of a deceased woman to fraudulently acquire land in Sumba, Wakiso District.

The matter had come up for hearing on Friday, but Senior State Attorney Grace Amy informed court that the prosecutor handling the case, Resident State Attorney Joan Keko, was indisposed and unable to attend because she was caring for a sick child.

Grace Amy, however, told the court presided over by the Chief Magistrate Ritah Neumbe Kidasa that the prosecution had completed its disclosures and had already informed the defence that the evidence was ready for collection.

Defence lawyer Ambrose Tibyasa said he would send his assistant to pick the disclosures and did not object to the adjournment. However, he reminded court that the case dates back many years.

“I concede to the adjournment, but this is a 2014 case file, a very old case, and I don’t know if it can be fixed at the end of the court vacation,” Tibyasa said. Chief Magistrate Neumbe Kidasa adjourned the matter and scheduled the prosecution hearing for October 7, 2026.

Ssegulani faces four charges, including intermeddling with the estate of a deceased person, obtaining registration by false pretences, forgery, and uttering a false document.

Prosecutors allege that he fraudulently procured land titles for Busiro Block 358, Plots 22 and 23, formerly Plot 14 in Sumba, by forging the signature of the late Faith Nabatanzi on a land sale agreement and presenting the document to the Registrar of Titles onn November 4th, 2005.

The State alleges that on the same date and place, Ssegulani wilfully procured registration of a certificate of title under instrument number KLA 351928 by falsely pretending that he had purchased the land from Nabatanzi.