Mulago National Referral Hospital has asked government authorities to cancel a land title held by Makerere University over ownership of land in Katanga, near Wandegeya, reigniting a long-standing dispute between the two public institutions.
In a fresh contest involving two government entities, the hospital administration, led by Executive Director Dr Rosemary Byanyima, accuses Makerere University of acquiring the land title through fraudulent means.
“A public hearing for cancellation of the certificate of title was held on August 8, 2025, in which your office (Attorney General) was represented. During this hearing, the hospital presented its position and justified the need to have Certificate of Title FRV 202/6 cancelled, particularly Plots 40–42, which were issued to Makerere University in error,” reads part of a letter from Mulago Hospital.
According to Dr Byanyima, the hospital first petitioned the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development in June 2025, seeking cancellation of the title. The letter was copied to the office of the then Attorney General, Kiryowa Kiwanuka, but no action was taken.
The latest complaint comes more than a decade after the High Court ruled on the ownership dispute involving land in Katanga Valley.
In 2015, the High Court held that four family members and their licensees occupying the land were bona fide occupants entitled to remain in possession under the law.
The four family members are Jonathan Yosamu Masembe, Bulasio Buyisi, George Kalimu and Samalie Nambogga. They had challenged Makerere University and the Commissioner for Land Registration over the cancellation of their land titles and Makerere’s claim to ownership of the property.
In the same ruling, the court also declared Makerere University the registered proprietor of the disputed land.
Justice Alphonse Owiny-Dollo, then a judge of the High Court Land Division, relied on the 1998 Land Act, which requires an occupant seeking protection as a bona fide occupant to prove uninterrupted possession of the land for at least 12 years without challenge.
“While the plaintiffs are protected by law as bona fide occupants and are entitled to continue enjoying their occupation, I have found that the plaintiffs have been in uninterrupted occupation of the suit land and are therefore protected by law from being evicted,” the court ruled.
Dissatisfied with parts of the judgment, Makerere University appealed the decision. The appeal is still pending hearing and determination.
Court documents indicate that the disputed Katanga land comprises three zones covering approximately 37 acres, currently occupied by the complainants and their licensees. However, Makerere University maintains that it owns 277 acres, a figure that differs significantly from the 10.315 hectares indicated on the land title in its possession.
