By Naome Namusoke/ KMA Updates
By Naome Namusoke/ KMA updates
KAMPALA, UGANDA | The heirs of the late Sir Daudi Chwa II, the 34th Kabaka of Buganda, have formally appealed to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to intervene in what they describe as a decades-long injustice over ancestral land located in Kaazi, Wakiso District.
During the press conference held on 3rd August 2025 in Kasubi- kawala, members of the royal lineage claim they have been consistently denied their constitutional rights to the estate of the late monarch and accuse both Buganda Kingdom officials and government bodies of frustrating the implementation of lawful directives regarding the land.
“We have exhausted every legal and administrative process. It is now time for the President to personally step in and ensure justice is not delayed any further,” said Semakokiro Michael the chairman , of the Chwa family.
The contested land—Plot 5 Block 273 at Kaazi, estimated at 120 acres—is part of a larger estate allegedly allocated to Chwa II under the 1900 Buganda Agreement. According to the family, the monarch also received an additional 100 square miles in his private capacity, and acquired over 60 square miles independently. These claims are supported, they say, by official documents including Provisional Certificates (PCs), Final Certificates (FCs), and historical survey maps.
In March 2025, a technical committee chaired by the Minister of State for Lands, Dr. Sam Mayanja, directed the restoration of the estate. This included:
The restoration of Kaazi land (Plot 5 Block 273)
Processing of land titles for 196 square miles
Surveying of an additional 18 square miles
However, the Chwa family contends that these government directives have not been enforced. They accuse Buganda Land Board (BLB), and other elements within the kingdom of resorting to legal tactics to block justice.
“Despite these efforts, the Kabaka of Buganda and Buganda Land Board have filed for judicial review, obtaining a temporary injunction to halt implementation of the directives,” the family’s statement reads in part.
“This legal maneuver, in our view, is a deliberate effort to delay justice, backed by technicalities rather than merit.”
The family further alleges:
Fraudulent leasing and sale of private land
Unlawful registration of estate land under BLB
Conflation of private and official mailo land
Exclusion from the 1993 restitution process, which they say returned the land to the Kingdom and not the rightful heirs
According to them, these actions are not only illegal but have caused “irreparable harm that threatens generational inheritance rights and public trust in Buganda’s land management systems.”
In a meeting held on July 19, the family resolved to push for several key demands:
A joint committee of government, kingdom officials, family representatives, and independent surveyors to reassess disputed land claims
Immediate suspension of land transactions involving the disputed estate
Compensation in cases where recovery of land is impossible
Full access to land records and archives held by the Kingdom and government
President Museveni has on several occasions expressed concern over Uganda’s mailo land system, calling it a colonial legacy that fuels ongoing land disputes, particularly in Buganda.
Speaking recently during a media engagement at State House Lodge, Nakasero, the President reiterated his support for a phased abolition of the system.
“The issue of mailo land was a historical mistake by the colonialists. We should phase it out, but in a win-win way so that tenants (bibanja holders) have their rights and the landlords are not affected,” Museveni said.
The Chwa II descendants hope that Museveni’s long-standing critique of mailo land may prompt direct action on their appeal. They believe a personal audience with the President will allow them to present their case and seek executive enforcement of already issued directives.
As of press time, neither the Government of Uganda nor Buganda Kingdom had issued formal responses to the family’s renewed appeal. The silence, however, is not deterring the family, who insist that justice delayed is justice denied—and that the President must act to right a historical wrong.
Background: Who Was Sir Daudi Chwa II?
Sir Daudi Chwa II was the 34th Kabaka of Buganda, reigning from 1897 until his death in 1939. He played a pivotal role in navigating the Kingdom through British colonial rule and signed the Buganda Agreement of 1900, which among other provisions, distributed land between the Kabaka, chiefs, and colonial authorities. His descendants argue that land granted to him personally was never meant to be administered by the Kingdom after his death.