Seven scout leaders have been arraigned before the Makindye Magistrate’s Court on charges stemming from the violent takeover of the National Camping and Scouts Centre in Kaazi–Busaabala, Masajja Division, Makindye Ssabagabo Municipality.
The accused; Buragahare Mujuni Patrick, Butumbwire Stephen, Mugisha John, Musoke Stephen Brian, Mununuzi Alex, Orwanga Michael Richard, and Anyango Francis are facing charges of Unlawful Occupation of Land Belonging to Another, Malicious Damage to Property, Conspiracy to Commit a Felony, Forcible Detainer, and Forcible Entry.
Court heard that on June,24, 2025, the group, operating under a breakaway faction calling itself the Boys Scouts Association, mobilised a large number of people to forcefully seize the Kaazi facility.
They are alleged to have broken into the offices of the Uganda Scouts Association and caused widespread destruction.
According to the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, which worked jointly with the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to bring the case to court, the destruction included grading land, cutting down historic trees, demolishing kitchens, latrines, a watchtower, water tanks, and pipes, as well as confiscating property belonging to the Uganda Scouts Association.
The unit described the incident as a serious violation of the law and pledged that investigations will continue to ensure all those involved, including individuals still at large, are brought to justice.
The case has been adjourned as investigations proceed.
The 120-acre Kaazi land (Block 273, Plot 5) holds deep historical significance. It was first registered in 1923 to Kabaka Daudi Chwa II, not in his personal capacity, but officially as the King of Buganda. In 1948, the land was leased to the Uganda Scouts Association strictly for camping purposes.
Although leased for scouting activities, the land remained property of the Kabaka. Following the abolition of kingdoms in 1967, it was taken over by the central government but later restored to the Buganda Kingdom under the 1993 Traditional Rulers (Restitution of Assets and Properties) Act.
In 2020, a court reaffirmed the Kabaka’s ownership, cancelling fraudulent claims to the land. However, this ruling was later contested by State Minister for Lands, Sam Mayanja, who issued directives seeking to cancel the Kabaka’s title, deregister the Buganda Land Board, and reallocate the land to another estate.
That move was halted by a landmark ruling from High Court Justice Bonny Isaac Teko, who issued a temporary injunction blocking the minister’s directives and upholding the Kabaka and Buganda Kingdom’s ownership of the land.
Meanwhile, disputes within the scouting community have further complicated the matter. The Uganda Boys Scouts Association claim that in February 2025, they secured court powers to take over the Scouts offices and nullify the authority of their rivals, the Uganda Scouts Association.
The Kaazi land has therefore become a focal point of contention—between the Buganda Kingdom asserting its estate rights, and rival scouting factions each claiming legitimacy to occupy and control the site.
While scouts argue that Kabaka Daudi Chwa gifted them the land, the Kingdom maintains that it was never his personal estate, but rather the collective property of the monarchy.
