KAMPALA – Two businessmen are currently embroiled in a wrangle over Shs70m, which was secured from the government in form of compensation about 12 years ago.
Mr Nyanzi Kamanda, a city businessman, recently dragged his colleague, Mr William Kisenyi, to Commercial Division of the High Court, accusing of defaulting on paying him Shs70m as agreed for pushing the government to compensated him.
According to court documents, Mr Nyanzi helped Mr Kisenyi, the owner of Lumugwe Mixed Farm in Katungo, Rumugwe village in Mubende District to get compensation after UPDF trainee soldiers from Singo Training School and Training Wing trespassed on him farm thus destroying crops and killing animals.
Mr Kamanda claims that in October 2008 hundreds of soldiers trespassed on Mr Kisenyi’s farm measuring approximately 270 acres while training, causing extensive damage to his crops and a number of livestock were killed in the process.
He states that Mr Kisenyi, being illiterate and not very knowledgeable, approached him (Kamanda) to help explore ways of securing compensation from the government to the damage occasioned.
Mr Kisenyi, documents show, tasked Mr Kamanda to in particular procure legal services, fund procurement of legal services and ensure the suit is filed against the government to seek compensation for the damage.
The case – Lumugwe Mixed Farm Vs Attorney General – under suit No 204 of 2009 was filed and dully prosecuted in the Civil Division of the High Court and was decided in favour of Mr Kisenyi on September 7, 2018.
Court documents show Mr Kisenyi was awarded Shs1.069b in costs and damages.
Mr Kamanda claims a memorandum of understanding was subsequently signed on November 11, 2018, detailing that Mr Kisenyi would pay Shs270m for Mr Kamanda’s effort to force through the compensation.
However, documents indicate that Mr Kisenyi only paid Shs200m and has refused or ignored to pay the balance as agreed in the MoU.