KAMPALA, UGANDA – The National Technological Demonstration Centre (NTDC) project, a cornerstone of Uganda’s Vision 2040, is ensnared in a web of corruption and alleged sabotage, implicating high-ranking Wakiso District officials in a brazen land grab. President Yoweri Museveni’s directive to establish the NTDC at Gunda Forest Reserve, a site he personally identified in July 2018, has been met with fierce resistance, casting a dark shadow over the project’s future.
Minister of State for Lands, Dr. Sam Mayanja, in a damning letter, exposed the shocking reality: “During the month of July 2018, His Excellency the President himself identified the Gunda land. What he discovered was a shocking act of corruption: officials had carved up the land amongst themselves, issuing illegal land titles in blatant disregard for national interest.”
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Sources close to the investigation revealed a meticulously planned land grab. These officials, operating in collusion with elements within the Ministry of Lands Wakiso office, subdivided prime sections of the Gunda Forest Reserve, securing lucrative plots for personal enrichment. This act of impunity, executed with alarming audacity, was only halted after direct presidential intervention, resulting in the cancellation of the illicit titles.
However, the audacity of these implicated officials didn’t end with the cancellation of their illegal titles. Following that intervention, these same officials allegedly executed a dramatic about-face. They began flooding government offices with correspondence, suddenly championing the sanctity of the Gunda Forest Reserve. They now claim the land is a protected ecological zone, vehemently opposing any development, including the NTDC. This dramatic shift in stance is widely viewed as a deliberate act of sabotage, a calculated attempt to derail the President’s vision for national technological advancement.
“They used their positions to steal land, and when they were caught, they switched to environmental crusaders,” an anonymous source within the Ministry of Lands alleged. “It’s a cynical attempt to cover their tracks and obstruct the project.”
The Minister’s accusations paint a disturbing picture of a “Gunda Land Mafia” operating within the highest echelons of government, willing to exploit their positions for personal gain and then hide behind environmental concerns to cover their tracks. The 57 billion Uganda shillings allocated by the President for this crucial project remains effectively frozen, a hostage to this alleged corruption and bureaucratic warfare.
Wakiso District Officials Accused of Sabotage
The spotlight has now turned to prominent Wakiso District figures, including District Chairperson Matia Lwanga Bwanika and District Woman Representative Betty Ethel Naluyima, who are accused of actively sabotaging the establishment of the NTDC. Documents obtained by this publication reveal a fierce battle over the Gunda Forest Reserve, a site designated by President Yoweri Museveni for the NTDC.
A letter dated March 18, 2025, from Bwanika to the Minister of Lands, Judith Nabakooba, demands the rescinding of directives issued by the State Minister for Lands, Dr. Sam Mayanja, concerning the issuance of a Freehold Land Title for the Gunda reserve. Bwanika cites the reserve’s 1932 gazettement and its 1998 classification as a Local Forest Reserve, arguing that the degazettement process outlined in the National Forestry and Tree Planting Act has not been followed.
Similarly, Naluyima, in a letter to the Speaker of Parliament, echoes Bwanika’s concerns, emphasizing the legal protections afforded to forest reserves and the alleged lack of proper procedures. She alleges that Wakiso District, the custodian of the forest, was deliberately excluded from communications concerning the project.
However, sources within the Ministry of Lands allege a more sinister motive behind their opposition. Investigations reveal that both Bwanika and Naluyima were among 46 officials who illegally acquired land titles within the Gunda Forest Reserve, a scandal that surfaced in 2023.
“These individuals, who now claim to be champions of environmental conservation, were themselves beneficiaries of illegal land allocations within the very reserve they now seek to protect,” an anonymous source stated. “They were among those who paid 2.4 million shillings per acre, for land lease, in a clearly corrupt deal.”
District Speaker Najja Nasif had previously revealed that the Uganda Land Commission, in 2022, illegally subdivided 170 acres of the Gunda reserve, distributing 46 plots to various individuals and companies, including government officials. This illegal distribution, conducted without the consent of the Wakiso District Local Government, triggered widespread outrage.
Adding to the complexity of the situation, while officially designated as a forest reserve, the Gunda land is largely devoid of trees and heavily encroached upon by settlements. “It’s a forest reserve in name only,” a local resident stated. “The reality is that it’s a patchwork of settlements and cultivated land.”
The documents also indicate that the Uganda Land Commission had approached the Wakiso district council in 2022, requesting to develop the land, but the request was denied.
The allegations of sabotage and illegal land grabbing have cast a dark shadow over the NTDC project, raising serious questions about the integrity of public officials and the influence of vested interests. The 57 billion Uganda shillings allocated for the project remains in limbo, a hostage to the ongoing controversy.
Youth Leaders Speak Out
A group of youth leaders in Wakiso District has added their voices to the chorus of condemnation, accusing the district chairperson of sabotaging a multimillion-dollar industrial park project in Katabi, Entebbe.
According to Ibrahim Kazibwe, a youth leader in the district, the project was initiated in 2022 after a meeting with the President, who accepted their proposal and identified a suitable location. The District Council subsequently passed a resolution in favor of the project in 2021.
However, Kazibwe alleges that the district chairperson has been secretly working to undermine the project. “We have evidence that the chairperson has been issuing letters claiming that the project is an illegal encroachment on the land,” Kazibwe said. “This is despite the fact that the President himself ordered the cancellation of the existing land titles to pave way for the project.”
Kazibwe accused the chairperson of trying to protect the interests of a few individuals who had previously been issued land titles on the same land. “We see this as a clear case of sabotage, and we will not stand for it,” Kazibwe said.
The youth leaders have vowed to take action to ensure that the project is implemented as planned. “We will not allow a few individuals to stand in the way of progress and development in our district,” Kazibwe said.
The Gunda land scandal has exposed a disturbing pattern of corruption and alleged sabotage, threatening to derail a crucial national project. As investigations continue, the nation awaits answers and accountability.
