A Senior Land Officer attached to the Masaka Ministry Zonal Office has been arrested over allegations of illegal land titling, fraud, abuse of office and alleged connivance with land grabbers in the Greater Masaka area.
Zziwa Colbert Tamale was arrested by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, in collaboration with the Uganda Police Force in Masaka, following investigations into several alleged land-related offences.
According to the Anti-Corruption Unit, Zziwa is facing multiple allegations, including the issuance of more than 265 allegedly illegal land titles on land said to include Central Forest Reserve land and privately owned property.
Investigators also allege that Zziwa connived with other land officials in several questionable land transactions in the Greater Masaka region.
Among the cases under investigation is an alleged fraudulent transaction involving land belonging to former Vice President Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi in Kyanamukaaka, Masaka.
The Anti-Corruption Unit alleges that Zziwa, together with other individuals, was involved in creating a fraudulent certificate of title over the land after its size was allegedly reduced from 83 acres to 34 acres.
The authorities further allege that the land was subsequently partitioned into several plots.
Zziwa is also accused of allegedly participating in a scheme to obtain money from hundreds of residents in Sembabule under the guise of facilitating the processing of free land titles.
According to the Anti-Corruption Unit, the Ministry of Lands has been providing free titles to selected beneficiaries, particularly residents facing the threat of eviction arising from land disputes.
The authorities allege that residents were instead asked to pay money for a process that was supposed to be free.
The Anti-Corruption Unit said Zziwa will be taken to court once investigations are complete.
Possible charges include abuse of office, fraudulent procurement of a certificate of title, conspiracy to commit a felony and forgery.
Authorities have appealed to residents of Greater Masaka who may have complaints or information relating to Zziwa’s alleged activities to come forward and report to Masaka Central Police Station or through the Anti-Corruption Unit hotline 0800 202 500.
The arrest comes amid increased efforts by Uganda’s anti-corruption agencies to investigate alleged abuse of office, land fraud and irregular land transactions involving public officials.
Zziwa has not been convicted of any offence, and the allegations against him remain subject to investigation and determination by the courts.
