A medical doctor has dragged the Kamuswaga of Kooki, Apollo Sansa Kabumbuli, to the High Court, accusing him of confiscating his two containers of medical equipment worth sh200m. In a suit logged before the Civil Division of the High Court in Masaka on Tuesday, Dr Joseph Kiyimba, claims that on September 22, 2018, Kamuswaga and nine others illegally arrested him basing on trumped-up charges and later confiscated his containers.
The medical items were intended for a medical camp in Rakai district. Others accused are Robert Mubiru, Patience Baganzi, Nyeko Okumu, Yasin Kiyemba, Alex Kwizera, Edward Kamya, Patrick Ssekidde, Allam Medhat and Moses Seruwo. Some of the defendants are government employees with Rakai district service commission.
“While at Rakai district grounds on September 22, this year,Kamuswaga in company of his bodyguards led by Lt Felix Mugisha attacked us andassaulted me and later grabbed my containers full of medical equipment,”Kiyimba says.
Kiyimba is the executive director of ABA foundation, a non-governmental organisation registered in Uganda with offices at Rubaga in Kampala. Kamuswaga, who is the Kooki county cultural leader under Buganda Kingdom and the group, were sued alongside the Attorney General since some of the defendants are government employees.
Kiyimba claims that he was detained for several hours before regaining his freedom. He wants court to declare Kamuswaga’s act of interference with his project as illegal. He also wants a compensation of sh10b and recovery of his property. He also wants court to issue a permanent injunction restraining Kamuswaga or his agents from further transgressions and scandalous conduct.
Kiyimba contends that the defendants led by Kamuswaga instituted trumpedup charges against him with fraudulent motives because his organisation was authorised by the gender ministry to boost the welfare of communities socially, economically and medically across the country. Kiyimba says he has held several medical camps in Rakai district with the latest being in June this year with support from Hospital Sister’s Mission Outreach based in America.
He accuses Kamuswaga and his cronies of vandalising his vehicle on top of running similar medical camps using his licence. Kiyimba says Kamuswaga’s ‘lawlessness’ has affected development in Rakai and court should intervene to save the people. He adds that Kamuswaga has no powers to block or confiscate his property because he is only a cultural leader with no executive powers. He alleged Kamuswaga violated the Cultural Leaders Act of 2011.
Kiyimba also claims that Kamuswaga has threatened to suspend his in-laws living in Rakai because of the project. The court has directed Kamuswaga and his group to file their defence within 15 days from the date of service. Meanwhile, Kiyimba has also petitioned the Chief of Defence Forces Gen. David Muhoozi requesting him to withdraw Kamuswaga’s guards claiming that he only uses them to commit criminal acts. Efforts to get a comment from the Kamuswaga’s spokesperson, Stanley Ndawula, proved futile as calls to his known cellphone went unanswered