Kabaka Seeks Eviction of UPDF Barracks, Radar Centre in Multi-Trillion Shilling Land Dispute

Mukono – The High Court has consolidated several land cases filed by the Kabaka of Buganda against 12 district local governments and the Attorney General into one major suit to be heard in Mukono.

In a ruling delivered recently, Justice Stephen Mubiru ordered that seven civil suits filed in different High Court circuits — including Masaka, Kiboga, Mubende, Lugazi, Luwero and Kampala — be merged with the Mukono case for joint hearing and determination.

The applicant, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, argues that a number of Buganda Kingdom properties that were confiscated during the 1966 political crisis were restored under the Traditional Rulers (Restitution of Assets and Properties) Act of 1993 and later formalised through a 2013 agreement with President Yoweri Museveni.

However, the Kabaka contends that despite the restoration, various government entities have continued occupying and using the land without paying rent, leasing it, purchasing it, or vacating it.

According to court documents, some of the disputed properties currently host public facilities including district headquarters, Uganda Prisons installations, Bombo Military Hospital, staff quarters, Air Force barracks, Air Force Secondary School Entebbe, the UPDF camp at Kitala and the National Military Radar Centre.

The Kabaka is seeking remedies for trespass, recovery of land, unjust enrichment and alleged violation of his constitutional right to property.

The Attorney General opposed the application, arguing that the cases involve different parcels of land in different districts, each requiring separate evidence such as land titles, valuation reports and testimony from district officials. Government lawyers also said consolidation could cause logistical difficulties and delays.

But Justice Mubiru ruled that the suits raise substantially similar legal and factual issues.

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“For consolidation to be granted, the suits do not need to be identical, but they must have a complete or substantial similarity of the issues,” the judge stated.

He said the core question across all the cases is whether the continued occupation of restored Buganda Kingdom land by government entities is lawful.

“The central issues… relate to the enforcement of private property rights in circumstances of their restoration following a history of appropriation by Government,” Justice Mubiru ruled.

He added that hearing the cases separately could lead to conflicting decisions.

“When the same subject matter is litigated in different courts, there is a risk of inconsistent outcomes,” he noted.

The judge also said consolidation would allow the court, if necessary, to make a “global assessment of damages based on similar principles” should the Kabaka succeed.

Next steps

The court directed the Kabaka to file a consolidated plaint by March 20, 2026. The respondents will then file their responses, and a full hearing has been fixed for April 15, 2026.

The costs of the application will be determined as part of the main case.

The outcome of the consolidated suit is expected to have significant implications for both the Buganda Kingdom and the affected district local governments, particularly on how restored kingdom land occupied by public institutions should be handled — whether through compensation, lease agreements or other arrangements.