Published on 26/11/2025
The family of the late Ham Mukasa has raised deep concerns over the mysterious killing of ASP Emma Bagenda, the former Officer in Charge of Ntawo Police Station, who was shot dead on Sunday night, November 23, 2025.
Bagenda had been overseeing security and deployments on the family’s contested Ntawo Mizingu land in Mukono, a responsibility that now raises fresh questions for the estate administrators.
According to Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson SP Rachel Kawala, the shooting occurred at around 10:20 p.m. when Bagenda and his team attempted to stop a motorcycle suspected of carrying criminals.
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“ASP Bagenda was shot dead while trying to stop the suspects. One of his team members, a police constable, sustained injuries but survived and was rushed to hospital,” Kawala said.
Police added that Bagenda’s team was responding to intelligence regarding an armed robbery in Kiwala village. When officers flagged down the motorcycle, the riders reportedly opened fire, critically injuring Bagenda and wounding another officer before fleeing with a police AK-47 rifle.
However, members of Ham Mukasa family, locked in a long-running land dispute with Church of Uganda through UCU Holdings, say the circumstances surrounding Bagenda’s death leave them uneasy. They emphasize that Bagenda was central to safeguarding their estate and managing security on the heavily contested land.
Speaking on behalf of the family, one of the estate administrators, Fahad Mutumba said they expect a more comprehensive probe into the incident noting that the family is unsettled not only by the killing itself but also fears it may have wider implications for their ongoing land struggle.
“The death of ASP Bagenda raises many questions about what is really happening and where his death leaves us as a family still fighting to rescue our land,” Mutumba said.
He added that the family wants investigators to go beyond the initial police report, urging security organs to treat the matter with urgency and to dig deeper.
“We are asking police and all security agencies to carry out deeper and proper investigations into the death of ASP Bagenda. As a family, we need the truth, and we need to know whether his killing is connected to the ongoing conflict on our land.”
“Just not long ago, we had gone to demarcate our land when about 100 men ambushed us. They beat us, smashed car windows, and took money,” Mutumba added recalling an earlier attack in September that he believes shows a pattern of escalating hostility.
Just weeks before the incident, the family led by estate administrator Ham Galabuzi Mukasa had accused the Church of Uganda of blocking reconciliation efforts over the 600-acre Ntawo Mizingu land. They alleged that the Church ignored directives encouraging dialogue and instead resorted to intimidation.
“The lands Ministry instructed both sides to sit and agree, but the Church has not acted. Instead, they have hired goons to attack us,” Ham Galabuzi Mukasa said recently.
The contested land spans more than 600 acres in Ntawo, Mukono District, and hosts several notable residents, including Proscovia Nalweyiso, Presidential Press Secretary Faruk Kirunda, former Minister Ronald Kibuule, and Ofwono Opondo. The private residence of Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu is also located in the area.
Tensions on the land escalated sharply on September 7, 2025, when armed men allegedly attacked Ham Mukasa estate administrators as they attempted to clear a section for office setup.
Family members were reportedly assaulted, vehicles vandalized, and property worth millions stolen, an incident Mutumba referenced while questioning the motives behind Bagenda’s killing.
