Kampala lawyer Buzibira struck off roll of advocates over Shs1.2B land fraud

In a decisive move to curb professional misconduct within the legal fraternity, the Law Council Disciplinary Committee has officially banned Kampala-based advocate Richard Buzibira from practicing law.

The committee found him guilty of gross fraud and negligence after he used forged documents to siphon off massive sums of money meant for land compensations.

The disciplinary panel, chaired by Mr Moses Mushabe Nabende alongside Dr Pamela Tibihikirra-Kalyegira and Mr Abubaker Ssekanjako, ruled that Buzibira’s actions violated Section 27(5) of the Advocates Act. Consequently, the committee ordered that Buzibira be immediately struck off the Roll of Advocates.

"We have found that the respondent committed professional misconduct of fraud and negligence," the committee ruled. "The acts by the respondent caused gross loss and all sorts of inconvenience. Such conduct, in our view, was gross as many people, including the government, were affected."

The roots of the fraud

The severe disciplinary action stems from a successful complaint filed by Pastor Daniel Walugembe who accused him of orchestrating a sophisticated fraudulent scheme involving a prime piece of land located at Block 28, Plot 7 in Buyaga, Bunyoro Sub-region.

According to case records, the land lawfully belonged to Pastor Walugembe. However, Buzibira forged instructions and powers of attorney, falsely claiming he had been authorized by a man named Sunday Joseph to process land sale payments from the Uganda Land Commission (ULC).

Further investigations revealed a web of deceit. Records show that Buzibira forged Sunday Joseph’s signature and documents to create a paper trail suggesting Joseph had sold the land to a one Warren Mwesigye. The forged documents further claimed that Mwesigye had assigned Buzibira to collect the compensation payments directly into his own personal account.

Pastor Walugembe petitioned the Law Council to find the lawyer guilty of causing him severe anguish, financial loss, and massive inconvenience. He requested the committee to compel Buzibira to refund Shs1.2 billion, which had been paid out to the rogue lawyer through fraudulent means, alongside interest accumulated since 2015.

A pattern of deceit

Although Buzibira denied any wrongdoing and vehemently argued that Pastor Walugembe lacked the legal standing (locus standi) to bring the case against him, the committee dismissed his defense entirely, branding the complainant's evidence as "coherent, consistent, and plausible."

The committee noted that Buzibira willfully ignored his professional ethics for financial gain. "He equally would have honestly and professionally advised ULC not to deposit monies on his account. He instead knowingly and fraudulently uttered the forged documents to facilitate the illegal transaction," the ruling reads in part.

This is not Buzibira's first brush with high-profile land scandals. A 2017 report by the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) previously linked Buzibira, Sunday Joseph, Robert Mugabe, Warren Mwesigye, and several complicit ULC officials to a conspiracy to defraud Pastor Walugembe.

Furthermore, in June 2022, Parliament's Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities, and State Enterprises (COSASE) investigated Buzibira and his law partner, Kyle Lubega of M/s Lubega & Buzibira Company Advocates. The duo was grilled over a dubious Shs2 billion land compensation payout in Kagadi District, where the lawyers allegedly pocketed the lion's share, passing on a mere Shs318 million to their actual clients.

Heavy penalties

Expressing deep concern over the depletion of public resources spent on avoidable litigations and state compensations, the Law Council ordered Buzibira to pay Shs10 million to Pastor Walugembe for the inconveniences and costs incurred during the prosecution. He was also ordered to pay Shs2 million directly to the Disciplinary Committee.

With his name expunged from the roll, Buzibira joins a growing list of disgraced legal practitioners stripped of their licenses in Uganda's ongoing crackdown on judicial and legal corruption.