Kampala, Uganda – Watoto Childcare Ministries, a prominent arm of Watoto Church, is entangled in a high-stakes land wrangle that has dragged through Uganda’s justice system for over a decade.
At the heart of the dispute is a 179-acre piece of land straddling Lube and Sekomangwa villages in Wakiso District.
The land, allegedly purchased in 2010 from one Steven Ian Nsubuga, is now the subject of a court case filed by Dr. Fredrick Njuki, who accuses Watoto of acquiring the land through fraudulent means.
According to court documents, the civil suit has stagnated in Uganda’s Land Division since June 2012.
Despite appearing in multiple court sessions, including a 2020 special hearing funded by the World Bank, the case remains unresolved and is now officially classified as backlogged—a term used for cases pending for over two years without judgment.
Dr. Njuki claims that Watoto failed to conduct due diligence before buying the land from his brother, Steven Nsubuga, who allegedly used forged documents to sell the property.
The suit also lists Ann Nsubuga and the Commissioner for Land Registration as co-defendants, accusing them of facilitating fraudulent transactions on land that originally belonged to Njuki’s late father, Eric Gganja Kiyuba Njuki.
“The plaintiff shall aver that the land titles were fraudulently issued and should be cancelled,” reads part of the complaint.
Njuki is demanding a court declaration affirming his legal ownership of 50% of the land and the cancellation of Watoto’s name from the land register.
He also wants a permanent injunction barring Watoto and its agents from accessing or interfering with the disputed property.
However, Watoto Childcare Ministries denies any wrongdoing. In its defense, the organization insists it followed all legal procedures.
Their lawyers argue that the land was verified to be free of squatters and that records at the Land Registry confirmed Steven Nsubuga as the legitimate owner at the time of sale.
“We conducted a land search and opened boundaries. No objections were raised,” their statement reads.
Still, the church claims it has been denied quiet possession and is facing disruptions due to what it calls “baseless allegations.”
Watoto has since filed a counterclaim against Nsubuga, seeking a refund of Shs800 million—allegedly the purchase amount—plus 30% interest, special damages of Shs54.2 million, and removal of all caveats from the land.
Complicating matters further, Dr. Njuki’s testimony alone has stretched over three years. His cross-examination began in 2022 and remains incomplete.
Watoto’s legal team reportedly petitioned the Principal Judge to change the presiding judicial officer—a move critics describe as a tactic to delay proceedings.
The case is now being overseen by Justice Dr. Echookit Christine Akello, who has scheduled the next hearing for July 10 to continue cross-examining Dr. Njuki.
For now, the fate of the land—and Watoto’s multimillion-shilling investment—hangs in the balance as justice grinds on at a glacial pace.
The case underscores ongoing concerns about land fraud, forged titles, and judicial delays that continue to plague Uganda’s property sector.
