A land wrangle involving Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Dr Diana Kanzira Atwine has dragged on for 17 years now with attempts for an out-of-court settlement dead on arrival.

The family of late Elia Rwancwende accuses Dr Atwine of illegally buying off 30 hectares of their 66.84 hectares family estate at Plot 9 Rubaya, Kashari Mbarara   District.

Dr Atwine, also the former head of State House Health Monitoring Unit, reportedly bought the land in question from Robert Tukamuhabwa Rwancwende, one of the deceased’s sons in 2000.

Rwanwende’s will indicates that the plot was inherited by his children: Hebert Natukunda Rwancwende, Francis Nuwagaba Rwancwende, Robert Tukamuhabwa Rwancwende, Ruthra Kamukama and Rosemary Kyomuhendo.

But Natukunda (the heir) claims that his brother Tukamuhabwa sold the land while he was mentally disturbed. He pins their neighbour, Enock Rutsibika, for brokering the deal between a mentally unsound Tukamuhabwa and Dr Atwine.

According Natukunda, he and all Rwancwende’s family had agreed  never to sell any piece of land after the father died only to be shocked when they saw Dr Atwine establishing a banana plantation in the land in 2006.

“I uprooted everything she [Dr Atwine] had planted and she [dragged me to court],’’ he said.

Court would then issue an interim order stopping both parties from using the land in question until the matter had been resolved.

ENTER MUSEVENI

In 2007 president Yoweri Museveni, whom Dr Atwine served as personal doctor, visited the said land and advised both parties to resolve the matter out of court in vain.

The Rwancwende family claims that attempts to speak to Dr Atwine in person were futile because she was unavailable, and was only represented by her lawyer Arthur Murangira through whom Atwine denies the charges.

Mbarara high court Judge Duncan Gaswaga adjourned the case registered under number HCT-05-CS-0061/2009 to July 12, 2017.