KIKUUBE – Gideon Tumwebaze, the Chairman of TULIPONA Veterans Association is being hunted for allegedly forging Omukama of Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom, Solomon Gafabusa Iguru’s signature and seal with intent to grab land belonging to Hoima Sugar limited in Kikuube district.
It is alleged that Tumwebaze presented a letter dated October 4, 2021 allegedly signed by Omukama Iguru and addressed to Florence Kiconco, the head of legal department at State House indicating that the King had offered him land measuring 2000 acres in Nyairongo parish Kabwoya sub-county Kikuube district.
The 2000 acres of land is part of the 21 square miles which Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom leased to Hoima Sugar Ltd for 99 years to grow sugarcane for the production of sugar in Kikuube district.
TULIPONA Veterans Association which is purported to have 500 members is accused of invading part of this land claiming that it was offered to them by Omukama Iguru.
The group claim that the land was given to them by Omukama Iguru in 2015 but the Kingdom Prime Minister, Andrew Byakutaga in September this year, issued a notice noting that the Omukama has never offered any piece of land to the veteran’s association.
Byakutaga’s statement forced the Kikuube district security committee led by the RDC Amlan Tumusiime to order the group to vacate the land. It is alleged that security discovered most of the people in the group were not veterans as claimed. Tumusiime found out that they were only ferried from neighboring districts while others were from Burundi.
However, Tumwebaze and his group protested the resolution to evict them and petitioned the president’s office where he presented a letter, he claimed had been written by Omukama Iguru reaffirming his offer of land.
A group of officials from State House recently stormed Bunyoro investigating the claim of the veterans.
However, Premier Byakutaga in his letter October 26, 2021 addressed to the State House legal department disregarded Tumwebaze’s letter saying, it was forged and challenged police to investigate the matter.
Responding to Byakutaga’s letter, in the phone interview, Gideon Tumwebaze said the letter he presented to State House was 100% authentic affirming that Omukama offered them the contested land in 2015.
He says, the letter in question was offered to him by Omukama outside the Palace without the knowledge of the Prime Minister and other kingdom officials.
He advised all those questioning his letter to challenge him in the courts of law and he is ready to defend himself instead of tarnishing his name.
“When I heard the Prime Minister and other Kingdom officials dismissing our offer, I used different means to access the Omukama and he signed another letter reaffirming the offer he made to me in 2015,” he said.
When contacted for a comment, last week RDC Tumusiime confirmed the development adding that police had launched a hunt for Tumwebaze to come and explain issues surrounding the letter.
https://thecooperator.news/mtn-rallies-bunyoro-kitara-kingdom-subjects-on-shares/
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