The Temangalo saga has taken a new twist after businessman Amos Nzeyi has been accused of forging numerous documents and signatures before selling the same land to National Social Security Fund.
Mr Abbas Kajoba Mawanda, who is said to have sold the land to Mr Nzeyi, appeared before the land probe following Mr Nzeyi’s testimony in which he testified that he purchased it from Mr Mawanda, the former Managing Director of Uganda Development Bank.
Mr Nzeyi explained that he took interest in the land in 1988 with a view of starting a dairy farm but acquired it in phases from Mr Mawanda, whom he said he got to know in 1975.
Mawanda told Justice Catherine Bamugemereire, the chairperson of the Commission of inquiry into land matters that he sold the 366-acre land to Mr Nzeyi at once and not in phases as Mr Nzeyi claims in his submission to the commission. He also described several sale agreements presented by Mr Nzeyi as forgery.
“I was shocked this morning to see an agreement showing sale of 60 acres purportedly signed by me but the signature is not really mine. I sold Nzeyi one title of 366 acres and I have never sold to him in pieces. I doubt the sale agreement of 60 acres with Nzeyi because I did sign only one agreement for the whole land,” Mr Mawanda testified.
The Commission has then re-summoned Mr Nzeyi to explain the accusations of forgery in his testimony but the date for him to reappear has not been set yet.
Mr Mawanda explained that he bought the said land from his in-laws after the death of his father in-law, Hajj Ahmed Ssekulima in 1983, when they wanted money to pay school fees and other necessities.
“My mother in-law told me that Sekulima was allocated that land by government in 1981 and that there was a little lease left. And when the title comes, the Mailo interest owner would take over the land. I approached Kato Mugwanya the Mailo land owner and he sold me the land,” Mr Mawanda said.
However, early this month, a Canadian-Asian family petitioned the commission claiming ownership of 366.2 acres of the land.
In their petition, the Canadian-Asian family led by Nazim Moosa claim ownership of the land at Temangalo with Nazim, who lives in the Canada, claiming that his parents Mohammed Hassnali Moosa who died in 1997 and Sherbanu Hassnali Moosa, owned Temangalo Tea Estate Limited.
Documents show that on March 10, 2008, National Social Security Fund (NSSF) purchased 463.87 acres of private mailo land in six parcels from two vendors: Nzeyi and Arma Limited, a company linked to former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi.
The Temangalo saga became a subject of intense public discussion in July 2008, which resulted in a probe on then the Security Minister Amama Mbabazi (former Prime Minister).