MPs on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) clashed with officials from the Uganda Police Force over the ownership of a disputed piece of land in Kabalagala, Makindye Division, during a heated session at Parliament.
The disagreement involved Kasanda North MP Patrick Nsamba Oshabe and Kalungu West MP Gonzaga Ssewungu, who accused police officials of failing to clearly explain who legally owns the contested land.
The police delegation, led by undersecretary and accounting officer Aggrey Wunyi, had appeared before the committee to respond to queries raised in the 2025 audit report by Edward Akol, the Auditor General.
Wunyi told MPs that the police leadership was increasingly concerned about the encroachment and attempted grabbing of police land in several parts of the country.
“We are making efforts to safeguard and protect police assets and property. Police are processing a land title for the Kabalagala land, while at Ntinda and Naguru, a perimeter fence has been constructed, and the situation there is now stable,” Wunyi said.
He added that police land in Natete had also faced encroachment, but efforts were underway to protect it. In Mukono, he said, police had begun the process of reopening boundaries to safeguard their property.
However, Oshabe challenged the police claim, insisting that the land in Kabalagala belongs to the Catholic Church.
“Police should not claim that land because it belongs to the Catholic Church,” Oshabe said.
In response, Wunyi maintained that the disputed land belongs to the police and lies outside Block 15, which is registered under the Catholic Church.
Ssewungu later weighed in on the dispute, joking that if the land belonged to the Catholic Church, police should hire him to mediate negotiations between the two parties. He later admitted he did not have all the facts about the matter.
The meeting also witnessed a tense exchange between Deputy Inspector General of Police James Ocaya and Bugiri Municipality MP Asuman Basalirwa.
Basalirwa criticised police for lacking an official security stamp to acknowledge receipt of documents and accused the force of suppressing political meetings, contrary to the constitutional freedom of association.
The committee chairperson, Mawogola South MP Goretti Namugga, asked Ocaya to explain the continued presence of security personnel at the home of opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine in Magere.
Namugga also questioned police about allegations that Kyagulanyi’s wife, Barbie Itungo Kyagulanyi, had been mistreated by their personnel.
Ocaya defended the deployment, saying police were maintaining peace and security around the residence and would withdraw once alternative security arrangements were in place.
He also defended the working relationship between police and Resident District Commissioners, saying the commissioners play a key role in coordinating security at the district level.
Director of Traffic and Road Safety Lawrence Nuwabine acknowledged the challenges but said the directorate had established a strong data unit at its headquarters in Natete to improve evidence-based operations.
Nuwabine said improving welfare for all police officers, including better housing, feeding, clothing, and transport, would help improve professionalism across the force.
The Auditor General’s report also highlighted several operational challenges within the police, including understaffing, inadequate fire equipment, weak inventory controls, limited fire station coverage, poor barracks maintenance, and shortages of transport and marine equipment needed for policing operations.
