Lawyer Male Mabirizi has returned to the Constitutional Court in an ongoing legal battle concerning the Kabaka of Buganda Kingdom, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi, and his agents.
Mabirizi's recent petition seeks a temporary injunction to halt activities such as mass settlers' registration and ground rent collection, scheduled to begin on October 1st, 2023. He argues that these activities target settlers on officially registered mailo land.
Mabirizi's primary aim is to prevent the Kabaka and his agencies from acting as registered owners of official mailo land. He opposes the imposition of registration fees, threats against land residents, and the collection of a 10 percent charge on land sale values.
He also seeks to stop money collection from non-lease Buganda people and government agencies supporting these activities. Mabirizi contends that the Kabaka is merely a trustee of official mailo land, making these charges illegal.
This is not the first time Mabirizi has attempted to halt ground rent collections. In 2020, Supreme Court Judge Dr. Esther Kisakye declined his application to stop these collections, and in 2017, a High Court decision by Patricia Basaza ordering the Kabaka to provide certain information was overturned by the Court of Appeal panels of justices led by Justice Egonda Ntende. Mabirizi has now filed a similar case in the Constitutional Court, which is pending a determination.
