Court declines to declare Movit owner of land occupied by prison

What the report says

The Independent Uganda, citing URN, reports that the High Court in Entebbe has refused to issue an early ruling declaring Movit Products Limited the owner of about 32 acres of contested land in Sazi Buwaya, Wakiso District, where the Uganda Prisons Service is said to be in occupation. Lady Justice Flavia Nabakooza dismissed Movit’s request for judgment on admission, finding that the dispute must be heard fully at trial.

The case stems from Civil Suit No. 395 of 2024, in which Movit sued the Attorney General over land described as Busiro Block 536, Plot Numbers 1677, 1678 and 1679. Movit relied on a Ministry of Lands report showing the plots are registered in its name and sought declarations of ownership, eviction of the prisons service, a permanent injunction and costs. The judge held that the report confirmed registration details but did not amount to a clear government admission that Movit has exclusive possession or that the prisons service is trespassing.

According to the report, the Attorney General argued that the land records did not settle all interests in the property. The court also noted a related pending case filed by Damulira Chibby against the Attorney General and 23 others, involving competing claims over the same land and issues linked to the estate of the late Damulira Bulazi.

The ruling means Movit did not lose the main case, but it failed to bypass a full hearing. The broader dispute reportedly covers about 202 acres in Sazi Buwaya. The substantive case, now listed as Entebbe Civil Suit No. 0256 of 2025, is due back in court for mention on September 24, 2026.