By Mohammed Hadebbe
UGANDA — In a major crackdown on systemic public sector corruption, detectives from the State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SH-ACU) have arrested Colbert Tamale Zziwa, a Senior Land Officer attached to the Masaka Ministry Zonal Office. The high-profile arrest follows allegations that the official fraudulently created and issued 265 illegal land titles, directly targeting property owned by former Vice President Edward Ssekandi.
Authorities disclosed that Zziwa was apprehended following an intensive investigation into a sophisticated land-grabbing syndicate operating within the sub-region. According to initial findings by law enforcement, the suspect allegedly abused his office to alter official registry entries, overlap boundaries, and generate fraudulent certificates of title on registered private land, institutional property, and protected national reserves.
The fraudulent scheme came under intense scrutiny after representatives of former Vice President Ssekandi reported unauthorized encroachment and forged documentation claiming ownership over portions of his estate. Further investigative checks revealed that hundreds of additional titles had been illicitly generated across Masaka and neighboring districts using similar fraudulent methods.
Investigators from the Anti-Corruption Unit, working alongside police detectives, confirmed that Zziwa had been paraded before security cameras during his formal processing. He faces multiple counts including abuse of office, forgery, uttering false documents, and conspiracy to defraud.
The Unit’s leadership emphasized that this operation is part of an ongoing national directive aimed at dismantling deep-rooted syndicates within the Ministry of Lands. Officials urged members of the public who may have been victims of fraudulent land dealings executed through the Masaka Ministry Zonal Office to present their documentation to assist ongoing inquiries. Zziwa is scheduled to be formally arraigned in court as investigations continue to identify potential accomplices within the regional land administration system.
