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A dramatic corruption storm has engulfed Mbarara District after Chief Administrative Officer David Muhwezi was arrested and charged over allegations of corruption, abuse of office and mismanagement of district property, while two other senior officials reportedly went on the run after failing to answer tough questions from investigators.The bombshell developments unfolded during a heated sitting of the Mbarara District Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chaired by Herbert Kamugisha on June 16, 2026, at the District Council Hall in Kamukuzi. What began as a routine accountability meeting quickly turned into a full-scale probe into the management and allocation of prime public land worth billions of shillings.For several hours, Muhwezi and the District Land Surveyor were grilled over a series of irregularities involving the allocation of public land on the highly prized Kamukuzi Hill. Committee members questioned how vast chunks of district land were being handed to government institutions and agencies without what they described as proper procedures and approvals being followed.According to findings presented before the committee, the Accounting Officer allegedly allocated plots to various institutions without the backing of council resolutions and minutes. The committee further heard allegations that some officials within the district administration had connived to facilitate land allocations through questionable processes, including alleged manipulation of valuation reports.PAC Chairman Herbert Kamugisha expressed concern over land valuation figures that reportedly placed the value of an acre on Kamukuzi Hill at between Shs30 million and Shs40 million, figures the committee considered far below the actual market value of the area. The committee consequently directed that all valuation reports be reviewed and revised.Police Officer escorting CAOAt the center of the controversy is the allocation of approximately nine acres of land for the Basajjabalaba-linked KIU Heart Institute project.The committee heard allegations that millions of shillings allegedly exchanged hands in what was described as a “handshake” intended to facilitate the allocation process. Claims were made that the alleged beneficiaries included district officials, former political leaders and council members.These allegations remain the subject of investigation.The probe also uncovered concerns surrounding the allocation of land to several other institutions, including Uganda Management Institute, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Makerere University Business School, the Office of the Solicitor General, Police Barracks and the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA), among others.Following the findings, PAC directed a CID officer to escort Muhwezi to Bwizibwera Police Station to record a statement. He was initially detained there before being transferred to Mbarara Central Police Station, where he spent the night in custody.Herbert Kamugisha chairing the PAC meetingMuhwezi was subsequently charged on three counts related to corruption, abuse of office and mismanagement of property. The committee also resolved that he should step aside from his duties to allow investigations to proceed without interference, with his deputy expected to take charge during the probe.The scandal deepened further when the committee turned its attention to procurement matters. PAC ordered the Chairperson of the Procurement Contracts Committee and the Senior Procurement Officer to report to police and record statements after allegedly leaving the meeting before answering questions relating to procurement issues under scrutiny.Kamugisha vowed that the committee would pursue the matter to its conclusion and compile a comprehensive report for higher authorities, including the President.“After getting all these references, we shall make our report following our resolutions and are taking matters up, even up to the President of this country. We want the valuation of the lands which have been allocated be revised. How can you evaluate an acre of land at Kamukuzi Hill between Shs30 million and Shs40 million? That’s a joke. Mbarara District is losing a lot of money in local revenue and we cannot allow that to happen here again,” Kamugisha said.With arrests already made, senior officials under pressure and billions of shillings worth of public land now under scrutiny, the unfolding Kamukuzi land saga is shaping up to be one of the biggest district-level corruption scandals to hit Mbarara in recent years.GOT A HOT STORY? EMAIL: redpeppertips@gmail.com WITH AS MUCH EVIDENCE AS POSSIBLE.SOURCE PROTECTION/CONFIDENTIALITY IS OUR NO.1 PRIORITY.About Post Author
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