The Nakawa Chief Magistrates Court has further remanded a city lawyer and a land consultant to Luzira Prison over allegations of defrauding a Chinese investor of Shs520 million in a botched prime land deal in Kololo.
Lawyer Augustine Paul Kasasa of Barnabas Dyadi & Co. Advocates and land expert Ronald Fisher Mundere appeared before Grade One Magistrate Frank Namanya on Thursday morning, after their case file was transferred to a different magistrate.
However, proceedings stalled after State Prosecutor Mahatma Odongo informed court that the substantive case file containing the charge sheet and particulars of the offence was not before court.
“The prosecution is unable to proceed with the matter because the relevant case file is not before court. We therefore pray that the accused persons be remanded to Luzira Prison,” Odongo told court.
The submission triggered a protest from Mundere, who questioned why they had been transported from Luzira only to be told the file was missing.
“I object to being taken back to Luzira when the case file is not before this court,” Mundere submitted from the dock.
Magistrate Namanya overruled the objection, noting that the court could not make any substantive orders without the file, and ordered that both accused be remanded until October 15, 2026, when the prosecution is expected to have availed the file and the accused can take plea.
The Shs520m Kololo Deal
According to the prosecution’s brief, the alleged fraud occurred on June 8, 2026, at Kololo Courts Hotel in Nakawa Division, a venue often used for high-value business negotiations.
It is alleged that Kasasa and Mundere, acting together with other persons still at large, approached Chinese national Li Huafeng with a lucrative offer – to help him acquire titled land at Plot 12, Coral Crescent, Kololo.
Coral Crescent is one of Kampala’s most exclusive addresses, where an acre of land is valued at over Shs4 billion, making it a hotspot for land fraudsters targeting foreign investors unfamiliar with Uganda’s land tenure system.
Prosecution contends that the duo made false representations that they had full authority and capacity to facilitate the transfer of the said land, prompting Li to release Shs520 million as purchase fees and facilitation costs.
The land was never transferred and the money was allegedly converted to their own use, prompting Li to file a complaint with police, leading to their arrest and subsequent remand.
The prosecution has preferred charges of obtaining money by false pretences contrary to Section 305 of the Penal Code Act, a charge that on conviction carries up to five years imprisonment.
Both Kasasa and Mundere remain on remand at Luzira and have not yet taken plea. Under Ugandan law, they are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Cases of land fraud involving lawyers and land consultants have been on the rise in Kampala, particularly in Kololo, Naguru and Nakawa, where fraudsters exploit loopholes in the land registration system and the high demand for prime land by foreign investors.
The case returns on October 15 for mention and possible plea-taking.
