SOROTI: For a long time now, The registered trustees of Soroti Golf Club and Soroti Golf club Limited a private developer have been embroiled in a fight over ownership of Soroti Golf land. Accordingly, the Registered trustees ran to Soroti High Court for litigation. Subsequently, Court dismissed their application with costs amounting to shs 137 Million over lack of merit and that Soroti Golf Club Limited followed all the legal processes required to acquire the land.
In the process of litigation, soroti golf club Ltd found out that there had been an error by soroti district land board when there was double titling of land when it issued plot 10-12 to both soroti municipality now City and Soroti Golf Club Ltd. Soroti City has been in possession of a 99 year lease title while Soroti Golf Club Ltd has a lease title for 49 years. According to the lawyer in Jambo Company advocates, a law firm representing Soroti Golf Club Ltd, he stated that all the two titles are authentic and it was simply an error by the issuing body. He added that upon engagement with Soroti City authorities they were able to reach an agreement to correct the anomaly, the City council subsequently in their meeting passed a resolution to that effect making Soroti Golf Club Ltd a Sub-Lessee to the city so that they continue with their Development of a sports complex which will be beneficial to sports lovers and the city in terms of revenue when completed.
However, it has emerged that the Registered trustees represented by Wamimbi and Co advocates have written to the City authorities a letter of intentions to sue the town clerk and all councilors in their individual capacities for the decision they took to correct the error. The registered trustees want the clerk and councilors to rescind their decision or be dragged to court individually.
The background to this story is that the registered trustees of Soroti Golf Club were the legal owners of the land until their lease title expired around about 2001. After a long span of no renewal, the Soroti District Land board 8 years later leased out land plot 10 to 12 Kennedy square to Soroti Municipal Council now City for 99 years and Later Soroti Golf Club Ltd for 49 years a process that was problematic itself, issuing the lease to two different entities on the same land which the City Council recently tried to correct.
After discovering that the two entities that Soroti District Land Board had issued lease titles to on the same land, this website has learnt that using underhand methods the registered trustees of Soroti Golf Club have also applied for a lease thru the union of golf clubs in uganda from soroti city council unfortunately their application was overtaken by events since a minute had been granted to soroti golf club Ltd. A million dollar question is why would Soroti Registered Trustees apply for their own land if they owned it? This leaves many questions unanswered. (See Attached complaint and application)
According to Jambo Advocates, the cause of intimidation therefore in non other than the failure of the registered trustees of soroti club to arm twist the council to grant them the lease. The council cannot be faulted in exercising its mandate according to the law.
“Why did the registered trustees of soroti golf club not apply for cancelation of the title of soroti City since they allege that the land belongs to them.. Would they have also threatened the Soroti City Council if it had granted a lease for that land to Uganda Golf Union”
He added that “The letter by wamimbi and Co advocates is a mere threat by disgruntled trustees who instead of having failed to develop land that was granted to them way back in 1952 let even the structures left by the colonial trustees get dilapidated and now want to fight development in soroti city”