The Senior Land Management Officer for Ssembabule District has been arraigned before the Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court over allegations of extorting nearly Shs1 billion from applicants seeking government land titles.
Kananura Emmanuel Champion was on Wednesday charged with embezzlement, abuse of office, corruption and obtaining money by false pretences.
He was remanded to prison until August 17, when he is expected to return to court.
Kananura was arrested and charged following investigations by the Inspectorate of Government, the Directorate of Public Prosecutions and the Criminal Investigations Directorate.
Prosecution alleges that between August 2024 and August 2026, Kananura used his position to collect between Shs1.5 million and Shs6 million from several applicants, with the total amount allegedly approaching Shs1 billion.
He is accused of falsely presenting the payments as a mandatory requirement for applicants seeking government land titles under the Land Management Institution Strengthening Grant, yet the applicants were not required to make such payments.
The programme, implemented by the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development through the Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers Project, followed a presidential directive aimed at enabling beneficiaries to acquire land titles at a lower cost.
The allegations came to light during the Minister of Local Government Balaam Barugahara’s “Expose the Corrupt” campaign in Ssembabule, where several residents reportedly complained that they had paid money to Kananura and other officials for land titles but had not received the documents.
Investigations into the allegations are ongoing, with authorities indicating that more officials could be arrested and charged.
Kananura is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a competent court.
