Controversial city businessman Moses Kalungi has been arrested and detained over allegations of fraudulently acquiring property belonging to the estate of the late businessman Dr. Muhammad Kasasa.
Dr. Kasasa, who died in 2024 after a prolonged illness, left behind a multibillion-shilling estate comprising properties in and around Kampala. The estate has since been at the centre of disputes involving ownership and administration of some of the properties.
Sources indicate that Kalungi and other individuals are being investigated over allegations of attempting to acquire some of the late tycoon’s properties without following the required legal procedures.
Kampala Metropolitan Police Deputy Spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire confirmed Kalungi’s arrest and detention at Kampala Central Police Station but declined to provide details, referring inquiries to the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID).
Sources within the police said Kalungi spent a night in custody as investigations continued.
Mariam Natasha, spokesperson of the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, also confirmed the arrest, saying Kalungi is being investigated over allegations related to the fraudulent acquisition of a building in Kampala.
“Investigations into the matter are still ongoing,” Natasha said in a telephone interview.
The arrest follows a dispute over ownership of property located at Mengo, Kampala, including Block 4, Plots 3001 and 3002 at Kibuga, and Block 4, Plots 936 and 938 at Namirembe Kibuga.
During proceedings before the Land Division of the High Court, Kalungi told Assistant Registrar Samuel Kagoda that he had sold the disputed property to Namuwongo Processing Industries Limited after acquiring it from members of Dr. Kasasa’s family.
Kalungi told court that he purchased the property from some of Dr. Kasasa’s children, who were listed as registered owners, at a cost of Shs2.5 billion. He said he later sold it because he had borrowed money to finance the purchase and was under financial pressure.
It is alleged that Namuwongo Processing Industries Limited is owned by Kalungi and his wife, Jennifer Mujungu Kalungi, who represents Ntoroko District as Woman Member of Parliament.
In his testimony, Kalungi told court that he no longer had control over the property, claiming that the new owners were demanding vacant possession to renovate the building and begin operations to recover their investment.
However, Dr. Noor Nakabonge Kasasa, one of the seven registered proprietors who challenged Kalungi’s claim before the Land Division of the High Court, questioned how the transaction was conducted without her involvement.
Nakabonge told court that she was not consulted about the alleged sale and challenged Kalungi to identify the specific members of the family who transferred the property to him.
She further accused Kalungi of fraudulently removing a caveat placed on the land title at the land registry and transferring ownership into his name, prompting complaints to the State House Anti-Corruption Unit and the Criminal Investigations Directorate.
Nakabonge also accused Kalungi of using force during an attempted eviction of her and her family’s business from the premises. She alleged that individuals hired by Kalungi removed property belonging to the business, including equipment used by KBS Television.
Kalungi has not publicly responded to the latest allegations.
The development comes as members of the Kasasa family continue a legal battle before the Supreme Court over a mediated settlement involving more than one square mile of land on Mutungo Hill in Nakawa Division, Kampala.
The dispute involves a sharing arrangement between the Kasasa family and the family of Ronald Muwenda Mutebi, the Kabaka of Buganda.
Dr. Nakabonge has maintained that the land was purchased by her late father and argues that previous court decisions recognised the transaction as valid. She has questioned why the property is being shared with the Kabaka’s family, which she says had previously sold the land while in exile following the 1966 Buganda crisis.
