“Stop Fighting over Indian property, Develop your own,” President Museveni

Sunday, June 13, 2021

STATE HOUSE, ENTEBBE: President Yoweri Museveni has warned against grabbing Indian property managed under the Departed Asian Property Custodian Board (DAPCB) saying fraudsters will face serious consequences.

“All those parasites... why are they fighting for Indian properties? Why are they not developing their own property? When returning Indian properties, we had a big debate in parliament. These are 4000 properties, there are over one million new properties owned by Ugandans, why fight over Indian property,” he said.

President Yoweri Museveni was yesterday meeting Uganda-Indian diaspora and investors led by Ambassador Dr. Mumtaz Kassam, at State House Entebbe. The investors who are also landlords and property owners including Liaquat K. Valiji, Mustafa T. Bharmal, Zaahid A. Bharmal, and Nafisa F. Bharmal- from the United Kingdom, Canada and India are seeking to repossess their properties lost after their families were expelled from Uganda by former President Idi Amin's regime in 1972.

The Asians, after their expulsion left behind property, which included businesses, stock and real estate.

“The story is simple! These were either Ugandans or non-Ugandans but Asians living in Uganda and owning property. They were expelled and properties taken by Idi Amin. We said all those get back their property. Citizenship doesn’t change anything, it is the ownership that matters,” he said.

The President said that in order not to make it an endless programme, they put a time limit for them to claim their property. None citizens were given up to June 1993 while citizens had no time limit

“Our Movement Government has no interest in giving to anybody property that was owned by our Indian people. You must have heard that I have been re-elected President. We are going to resolve this issue,” he said. He directed for written reports by the diaspora regarding all their property to be presented to his office.

The Indians are seeking to repossess various property scattered around the country including tea estates, land and buildings but claim the Departed Asians Property Board and COSASE have made it impossible for them to progress. 

Last May, Parliament learnt that there was fraud in the management of the properties of the Asians who were expelled from Uganda in 1972 by the late President Idi Amin.

In a report presented by the Subcommittee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), it was discovered that there were irregularities in management, compensation and repossession of properties owned by the departed Asians.

 

ENDS….