A heated dispute between landlord James Lubega and a healthcare firm, Gombe Medical Services (GMS), has escalated into a high-stakes legal battle involving claims of rent default, property damage, and alleged fraud. The conflict centers on a property located on Namirembe-Balintuma Road in Rubaga Division, Kampala, which Lubega says has been misused and mismanaged by his tenants.
The controversy first gained public attention in September last year when a video of Lubega bleeding from his mouth and nose went viral on social media. In the footage, he alleged he had been attacked by a security guard while attempting to demand two years of unpaid rent. “They want to kill me because of my property. I came to demand my rent, but they unleashed a cruel security guard who beat me severely,” Lubega said in the video, which sparked widespread outrage.
The dispute traces back to 2017 when Lubega entered a 10-year tenancy agreement with Inter-City Health Access (ICHA), the original tenant. The agreement stipulated a monthly rent of Shs12 million, with an advance payment of Shs288 million to enable Lubega to complete the premises. The advance was to be paid in two installments, with the final payment due by the end of 2017. While initial payments were made, disputes over the timeline of rent obligations later arose.
In 2022, ICHA reportedly cleared arrears of Shs288 million, covering May 2020 to May 2022, but Lubega alleges they defaulted on an additional Shs120 million from May 2022 to March 2023. He claims that GMS, which began operating on the premises in September 2022 as an extension of ICHA, took over without his consent. Attempts to access the property in December 2024, accompanied by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, were rebuffed by the firm’s management.
Lubega’s grievances extend beyond unpaid rent. He accuses ICHA and GMS of destroying valuable equipment stored in the building’s basement. He alleges that personnel from the firms forcibly broke into the area in November 2022, acting under what he describes as a “fake court order,” and removed printing machines worth Shs1.5 billion. The equipment, he claims, was left exposed to rain and sunlight, leading to irreparable damage. Additionally, Lubega alleges that $10,000 in cash kept in the basement went missing during the eviction.
The landlord has petitioned the State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU) for intervention, accusing a director from one of the firms of masterminding fraudulent schemes, including an attempt to coerce him into signing a lease agreement under false pretenses.
While officials from ICHA deny the allegations of default and emphasize that the matter is before the High Court, Lubega insists his tenants have violated the tenancy agreement and defrauded him. As investigations by Old Kampala Police and legal proceedings continue, the dispute underscores the complexities of property management in Kampala and the dire consequences of unresolved conflicts between landlords and tenants.
