In mid-December 2019, this website published an amateur video of Security Minister Gen. Elly Tumwine while he spoke rudely to Operation Wealth Creation boss Gen. Charles Angina.

A bitter Gen. Tumwine was seen accusing Gen. Angina of using security forces to solve his personal disputes, an act that many legislators and members of the public criticized seeing as the minister embarrassed a fellow General in front of his juniors.

“Don’t abuse our forces! Have you heard? Don’t abuse our forces; you and the Police. We all have wrangles and disagreements but we don’t use the forces to solve them.” Tumwine told a visibly scared Angina.

The Tower Post further reported that the argument between the two top UPDF dons was birthed by a land wrangle between Dr. Ben Khigi and Mr. Godfrey Kirumira.

The land in contention is located in Muyenga, a Kampala suburb and since the video came out, little has been known about the dispute.

In this Article, we uncover the details and truths behind the conflict which according to close sources is about to get a permanent solution.

Back ground.

Dr. Ben Khingi is an owner of a residential property in Muyenga, Kampala that is adjacent to Hotel International, Muyenga. Hotel International is owned by Mr. Godfrey Kirumira who is its proprietor.

The two city tycoons have been in disagreement on the precise position of the boundary of Hotel International with respect to the current access road that leads to Dr. Ben Khingi’s property.

Sources close to the land reveal that for purposes of optimising security, improving ambience and appreciating the nominal neighbourhood value, Dr. Ben A. Khingi and his tenant, Lt. General Charles Angina sought to improve on the access road by widening it, re-surfacing it, erecting a retaining wall and placing street lights.

This was the genesis of the crisis that saw generals come up in arms.

Start the Disagreement.

As Dr. Khigi together with his tenant Gen. Angina started on the work of widening the road, the said access road was claimed by Mr. Kirumira to be part of the land belonging to Hotel International.

This led to several altercations, including the famous one on 13th December 2019, where Gen. Tumwine embarrassed Gen Angina in front of his junior officers.

Sources privy to the two disclosed to this website that the Uganda Police had been deployed at the road construction site to provide a safe working environment for Dr. Ben A. Khingi’s road construction workers who would later be chased by Gen. Tumwine’s guards.

Prior to the exchange that went viral on various social media channels, sources say that only the police were deployed on the site.

“The military men seen in the video were from the entourage of the security minister Gen. Elly Tumwine and other UPDF personnel who are part of Lt. Gen. Charles Angina’s normal security detail,” a witness who preferred anonymity so as to speak freely confided in The Tower Post.

“Their [UPDF officers] primary and only role was safety and security of the principal. Throughout, Lt. General Charles Angina’s bodyguards remained a disciplined, professional force that did not; divert from their mission, posture as parties to the dispute or falsely assume a similar mandate as the police, or directly assist the police in their duties,” the source further reveals.

State House Intervenes

After the altercation and the viral story published by this website, the matter attracted the attention of State House which intervened on 18th December 2019.

Led by Ms. Mariam Namayanja, the State House team caused a joint survey to open the boundaries and establish the true state of affairs.

With respect to the contested access road, the survey results firmly vindicated Dr. Ben A. Khingi and his tenant, Lt. General Charles Angina’s position that construction work on the access road would not infringe on the land of Hotel International

The results however, also revealed a section of about 2 metres long and 0.4 metres deep along the access road where the excavation by the road works had penetrated into the Hotel International land.

This section constitutes less than 2% of the total length of the access road and, in road engineering terms, is considered within reasonable margin-of-error parameters.

Having read the report by State House officials, Mr. Godfrey Kirumira conceded that the access road construction works resume immediately upon his return from a private trip abroad.

This website understands that Mr. Kirumira was slated to return to Uganda on or about the 27th of December 2019.

Both parties shall provide technical experts to ensure no infringements on the established boundaries between the access road and Hotel International are realised.

Further findings of the survey

Dr. Ben A. Khingi and Mr. Godfrey Kirumira agreed that the other findings of the survey that created new areas for discussion shall be dealt with on the negotiating table. These were areas that did not previously constitute part of the disputed boundary between the two properties.

The official survey report shall be provided by the State House surveyors and released within 7 days from the exercise by Ms Mariam Namayanja.

Dr. Ben A. Khingi, Lt. General Angina and Mr. Godfrey Kirumira agreed that henceforth, they shall use dialogue as the most appropriate approach to resolve any lingering disputes and build good neighbour relationships.

All parties agreed to withdraw all pending suits and counter suits arising out of the disputed road access.