Garuga Estate War Explodes: Bagorogoza, Maguru Accused Of Turning Museveni Into Their Human Shield

The battle for the late Dr James Musinguzi Garuga’s empire has taken a bitter new turn, with his widow Peace Kesiime Bagorogoza, lawyer Agaba Maguru alias Musigi and Henry Hapa Nganwa accused of dragging President Museveni’s name into their own mess to escape accountability over Incafex Company Ltd properties.

At the centre of the storm are claims that company assets were quietly sold off in defiance of a Supreme Court judgment, just as Museveni moved to lock down what remains of the estate and protect shareholders.

Presidency correspondence shows the President was approached by Mathew Rukiikaire, a man who says he owns 45% of Incafex Ltd and Garuga Properties. Rukiikaire allegedly told Museveni that after the death of the majority shareholder, there was a systematic push to offload company property without any board approval.

He claimed the company had already been gutted, leaving only two ranches standing — Ranch No. 9 in Singo and Ranch No. 41 in Masaka — with nothing to show for his huge stake.

Rukiikaire reminded Museveni that in 2017, five Supreme Court justices ruled in his favour, confirming his 45% shareholding and ordering a special audit to settle the ownership structure once and for all.

Nearly a decade later, he said, that audit had allegedly never happened. He begged the President to act before the last assets vanished.

His ask was simple: pay his 45% compensation for the two government-taken ranches directly to him, and park the rest in court until the audit is done.

Museveni reportedly agreed, instructing the Attorney General and the Lands Minister to start compensating Rukiikaire for his claimed share, with the balance held in court.

That decision is said to have infuriated Bagorogoza, Maguru and their camp, who have since launched attacks on the President through social media operators and self-styled activists.

Sources allege their anger has little to do with justice and everything to do with money — claims that they had expected the compensation to flow through accounts they could control.

One source alleged the group had already benefited from an earlier Shs800 million partial payment released by government to help Dr Garuga seek specialised treatment abroad.

That money traces back to the late 1990s ranch restructuring, when Ranch 35 in Mawogola was taken over by government. Total compensation was put at about Shs13.7 billion but stayed unpaid for years.

In early 2025, ailing Dr Garuga reportedly petitioned then Finance Minister Matia Kasaija for an urgent release. Government processed Shs800 million under payment reference No. 21418514.

Court documents cited in the dispute indicate the cash was meant for Garuga Cooperative Ltd’s Bank of Africa account, but allegedly landed in Garuga Properties Ltd’s account at the same bank, where Maguru was a signatory. Questions now swirl over how the account was switched and how the cash was withdrawn and shared.

After Garuga’s death, the property fights allegedly intensified. Maguru, who was company secretary, is accused of installing himself as director in Garuga Properties Ltd, Incafex Ltd and Kinkiizi Development Company Ltd without board consent. The Registrar of Companies is said to have struck him off after Rukiikaire petitioned URSB, claiming the appointments relied on forged papers.

The Supreme Court had earlier slapped an interim injunction barring Incafex and its agents from selling or mortgaging vast ranches and estates across Kabula, Buruli, Bunyoro, Bulemezi and Kyaggwe until the audit was complete.

Despite that order, the trio is accused of pushing through deals, including the alleged sale of 2,000 acres in Ngoma, Nakaseke, about nine square miles in Kabula, Lyantonde, and 849 hectares on Block 1004, Plot 2 in Bulemezi, whose title allegedly ended up in the names of Charles Byaruhanga.

Another 296.74-hectare estate on Block 516, Plot 12 at Busanga, Kome Island, is said to have been leased to Erunger Property Limited — a firm alleged to have phantom directors — through a lease reportedly drafted by Maguru’s firm in 2024 without Garuga’s knowledge.

The group is also accused of involvement in alleged misuse of funds from three companies said to control over 25 factories and more than 3,600 land titles.

Legal observers insist Museveni’s intervention was not the problem. They say it was a rescue mission for a shareholder already vindicated by the Supreme Court, and that Bagorogoza and her associates cannot use the President as a shield for their alleged legal troubles.