LAND GRABBING: Who is Karangwa Moses Kaliisa?

[Yoweri Museveni]

LAND GRABBING: Who is Karangwa Moses Kaliisa?

He is a Munyarwanda and has been the Jinja Municipality ruling NRM Chairman. He is said to be a leading wealthy businessman in Jinja, Kamuli and Kayunga. He is the proprietor of Star React a security Company based in Jinja. He owns property and chunks of land in Kamuli, Jinja, Kayunga and Nakaseke. His livestock farms supply milk to Jinja and Kamuli towns. As Chairman NRM for Jinja Municipality, in 2011 his executive committee threatened to impeach him over allegations that he had single handedly prepared the party’s campaign b budget and went ahead to get money from the party headquarters but did not declare it. He survived because of his god-fathers at the too party leadership. In 2013 at a public function in Budondo, Iganga district that was attended by Museveni, Karangwa tricked UPC strongman Robert Kanusu into shaking hands with Museveni. During the occasion Karangwa gave Museveni a yellow baseball cap of NRM which he in turn handed over to Kanusu who refused to put it on. He had contested for the Jinja district LC 5 chairmanship on UPC ticket and lost. Earlier in 2012 during a fundraising for St. Gonzaga Seminary in Iganga that was presided over by Museveni, Karangwa bought Museveni’s portrait at 30M shillings.

In collusion with their powerful regime backers, the landlords in Kayunga led by the powerful Karangwa Moses Kaliisa sued the government in several land related suits. In February 2015 the High Court ordered for the attachement of Hon. Nantaba’s salary over an oustanding debt of 23 million shillings arising from litigation costs that was awarded to a one Kiberu after court quashed Nantaba’s order ofbgiving away 3.8 acres of land located in Wasozi, Kitende to another family following a dispute. Karangwa owns a big chunk of land at Kinamawanga, Baale Sub-county in Kayunga district after intimidating tenants into accepting peanut payments. Hon. Nantaba ordered the tenants to return to that land and Karangwa went to court. Locals as well as Hon. Nantaba believe that Karangwa is an agent of big people in the regime. Last month Hon. Nantaba alleged that some wealthy people incliding senior army officers were involved in illegal land evictions and sponsering her political opponents in the elections. Shortly after, Karangwa Kaliisa led a delegation of local leaders of Kayunga district to Namunkenke Industrial Park in Nakaseke district to meet Gen. Saleh. During the visit Gen. Saleh warned Hon. Nantaba to leave him out of the land wrangles. The learned General said that he had the capacity to buy land instead of stealing it.

The following week Museveni was in Kayunga where he the Chief Guest at the launch of Sauti FM – a local FM Radio station whose proprietor is none other than Karangwa Kaliisa. During the function Kaliisa donated to Museveni a spear and a shield before introducing his teenage sons; Emanuel Kamugisha and Michael and Michael Karuhanga who shock hands with Museveni. Museveni thanked Karangwa for establishing a radio station; “I also thank him for the plans to put up a pineapple processing plant in Kayunga.” During the same occasion he made the infamous pronouncement that he was clocking 71 yet he looked 30 years old.