Mpara Town Council enters fresh wrangle over community playground ownership

27 April 2026, 6:00 pm

By Kyalisimaasuman

The community of Mpara Town Council in Kyegegwa District has entered into a protracted conflict with one Katuramu Georgy William, a resident of the same area, over the ownership of the Mpara Town Council community playground.

In a notice of intention to sue, seen by our reporter and dated 14 April 2026, addressed to the Chief Administrative Officer of Kyegegwa, Mr Katuramu, through his lawyers of M/S Ngamije Law Consultants and Advocates, alleges that since 2016, Mpara Sub-county (now Mpara Town Council) has been deliberating on the land as a means of attempting to take ownership of it for the benefit of the local government, albeit unsuccessfully.

The letter further states that Mr Katuramu is not only a bona fide occupant of the said land, which is titled land belonging to Tooro Kingdom, but also obtained a land lease from the kingdom on 16 May 2020.

“You are required not only to cease your claims and/or trespass on our client’s land, but also to pay damages to our client to the tune of 500,000,000, being compensation for damage to our client’s building, trespass and inconvenience, within 14 days from the date of this letter to avoid legal action and its implications,” the letter reads in part.

However, when our reporters attempted to reach Mr Katuramu for a telephone interview, he referred them to his lawyers.

Meanwhile, during a community meeting held at Mpara Playground on Friday, 24 April, chaired by Herbert Muganda, the Town Clerk of Mpara Town Council, elderly residents with a long-standing history of the playground, including Rwakanuma Shaban Kamanyire, criticised Mr Katuramu’s move.

During the same meeting, some residents, including leaders led by the female councillor representing Kyasambya Ward in Mpara Town Council, Kyabaana Nsungwa, accused Kiiza Pius Rubaya, a Tooro Kingdom official in charge of lands in Mpara Town Council and also the councillor representing Mpara Ward, of allegedly collaborating with individuals seeking to grab government land, although he dismissed all the claims levelled against him.

In his communication, Herbert Muganda, the Town Clerk of Mpara Town Council, expressed concern that if the conflict escalates further, the town council risks missing out on government projects under the Uganda Cities and Municipalities for Infrastructure Development programme, funded by the World Bank, which are already in the pipeline.