The High Court has ordered the Inspectorate of Government to pay Baker Mugaino, the commissioner for Land Registration, Shs 50 million in damages over unlawful interdiction. Mugaino was interdicted by former IGG, Beti Kamya, in April this year on allegations of corruption.
Mugaino’s wrongful interdiction has been cited as one of the reasons President Museveni declined to renew Kamya’s contract as IGG. She was replaced this month by Justice Aisha Naluzze.
The dispute began in April 2025 when Kamya said she had received multiple complaints accusing Mugaino of corruption and abuse of office. These included claims of cancelling genuine land titles and replacing them with fake ones, arbitrarily lifting caveats, creating duplicate titles on the same plot, issuing freehold titles to foreigners without due process, and bypassing required hearings or court decisions.
On April 23, 2025, Kamya wrote to the Permanent Secretary of the ministry of Lands, Dorcas Okalany, directing her to suspend Mugaino immediately to allow investigations. Okalany complied, issuing an interdiction letter on April 28, 2025. This barred Mugaino from his office, halved his salary, and restricted him from leaving the country without permission.
Mugaino, arguing he was not given a chance to respond beforehand and that the process violated his rights, filed for judicial review in the High Court. He sought to have the decisions overturned, claiming they were illegal, irrational, and procedurally flawed.
The Attorney General’s office later advised that the interdiction should be quashed, but it did not oppose the case, while Kamya defended her actions.
Justice Collins Acellam of the Civil Division of the High Court ruled that the interdiction affected Mugaino’s rights and could therefore be challenged in court, rejecting Kamya’s argument that it was merely a temporary step.
Justice Acellam said the power to discipline officers of Mugaino’s rank (Head of Department or above) lies solely with the President, not Kamya or Okalany. He cited the Constitution and Public Service Standing Orders, noting the interdiction overstepped legal boundaries.
He ruled that Mugaino was not given a fair hearing and that the charges were not properly framed with full details, no consultation occurred with the Solicitor General as required, and no prior warnings were issued.
In the end, Justice Acellam lifted Mugaino’s interdiction and ordered that he should be allowed to resume work immediately.
He also ruled that Mugaino should receive Shs50m in damages for the unfair treatment, which the Acellam described as a “blatant abuse of power,” causing him distress.
The IGG was also ordered to pay Mugaino’s legal costs.
