About 30 residents from different parts of Kagadi District have petitioned the district chairperson, Elly Gard Tumusiime, over alleged loan disputes with moneylender Ibra Mubangizi, claiming they risk losing their land and other property over debts they consider unfair.
The complainants, led by Jackson Magambo, the LC2 chairperson of Kiraba Ward in Kagadi Town Council, met Tumusiime at his office for about four hours, seeking his intervention in the disputes. Magambo, whose family is among the complainants, alleged that his wife borrowed Shs350,000 from Mubangizi in 2022 at an interest rate of 20 per cent, with repayment expected within one month.
He claimed that his wife surrendered her national identity card as collateral and signed an agreement that allegedly indicated she had sold a piece of land. According to Magambo, the family paid Shs280,000, which he said included interest, when the repayment period elapsed. They then sought the return of the identity card as they worked towards clearing the outstanding Shs70,000. However, he alleged that Mubangizi refused to return the document and instead threatened to take their land. Magambo further claimed that the lender was demanding Shs7 million from his wife, an amount he described as unjustified.
Magambo said other residents had reported similar disputes involving the same moneylender, with some cases reportedly reaching court and borrowers facing the prospect of losing their property.
He warned that unresolved disputes could leave families landless, disrupt children’s education and cause psychological distress, urging government authorities to intervene.
Another complainant, Justine, the chief finance officer at Kagadi Town Council, alleged that she borrowed Shs1.5 million from Mubangizi at an interest rate of 20 per cent.
She claimed to have paid Shs5.4 million in interest, in addition to the Shs1.5 million principal, but said the lender was still demanding two acres of land she had reportedly provided as collateral.
Justine and other complainants said they had sought assistance from the Resident District Commissioner’s office, the District Police Commander and the Chief Magistrate but had not secured a resolution to their disputes. They appealed to Tumusiime to intervene before they lost their land and other assets. The allegations against Mubangizi had not been independently verified by the time of publication.
However, Mubangizi urged the complainants to pursue legal channels to resolve their disputes rather than seeking intervention from politicians. In an interview with our reporter, he emphasised the importance of resolving the disagreements through the established legal process.
Responding to the complaints, Tumusiime criticised what he described as the exploitation of borrowers through financial agreements that residents may not fully understand.
He pledged to present the matter to the relevant authorities for further attention and urged the complainants to remain calm as efforts to seek redress continued-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
