Real Estate Dealer Jailed Over Land Dispute Involving Justice Kwizera

Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda and Kikomeko Erick at 1105 EAT on Monday 12 January 2026

Real estate dealer detained over land dispute with High Court judge

Entebbe police have detained Charles Mayanja, a real estate dealer, following a dispute with Bushenyi High Court Judge Amos Kwizera over a parcel of land in Kasanje, Wakiso District. The matter reportedly escalated after disagreements over ownership and alleged encroachment, prompting authorities to intervene. Police said the investigation is ongoing, but further details on charges and next steps have not yet been released.

According to one of the investigating officers, Mayanja was detained for failing to make payment to the judge for a kibanja (residential plot) that the latter had purchased. Mayanja refused to pay, claiming that the sale agreement he was presented with was fraudulent.

The dispute began when Judge Kwizera bought a kibanja in Gayaza-Nangombe, Kasanje, Wakiso, from a man named John Ssemugooma. Mayanja, the registered title holder, protested that he was not consulted as the landlord before the sale.

According to available records, the two later reached an agreement in which Mayanja would compensate the judge to relinquish his claim to the land. As a show of good faith, Mayanja paid an initial Shs 20 million into the judge’s Standard Chartered Bank account.

However, the situation took a turn when Mayanja reviewed the 1996 kibanja agreement that Ssemugooma had used to sell the land to the judge and identified a major irregularity.

John Ssuuna, the LC-I secretary who witnessed the agreement, signed it and included his phone number, 0712962165. Mayanja has challenged the deal, arguing that the agreement is fraudulent since 10-digit phone numbers did not exist in 1996.

He has refused to pay the remaining balance, while the judge maintains that the contract must be honored. Attempts to reach Judge Kwizera for comment were unsuccessful by press time. It is not yet known whether Mayanja will be formally arraigned, The Observer reported.