Mbale false prophet Michael Mukhono on run over disobeying court order

By Our Reporter

Police in Mbale district last Friday executed a temporary order of injunction issued on January 23, 2020 against false pastor Michael Mukhono who had through fraudulent means taken over an old woman’s commercial property in Mbale Municipality and has been collecting rent on it for 15 years without her consent.

The execution of the temporary order was okayed last Thursday by Mbale Resident District Commissioner Ogajo Barasa Sulaiman and Mbale District Police Commander Fred Ahimbisibwe who warned that Mukhono and his accomplices will be hunted down should they continue disobeying the legal document now under implementation.

The property that the priest had planned to grab is located in Clock Tower Cell in Mbale Municipality’s Northern Division and is owned by widow Alice Kimono Kimaswa by way of her possession of the land title and other land transaction documents.

The order issued by Mbale High Court Deputy Registrar, Her Worship Lillian C.N. Mwandha, stops Mukhono, hisaccomplices and relativesfrom collecting rent and instead gives that responsibility to the property proprietorMrs Kimasawa, who has fought a legal battle with the land grabbing priest since the year 2010 when he dubiously dragged her to court after she raised a complaint regarding his plans to grab her property.

Mrs Kimaswa asked Mukhono to help her construct the commercial building, having given him support earlier as he was doing badly financially. However the pastor used this to claim ownership of the building to the extent that tenancy agreements and receipts and other documents bear his name as the landlord of the suit property, which is fraud, according to legal experts.

Part of the court order issued against Mukhono thus reads: “A temporary order of injunction doth issue against the respondent (Mukhono), his servants, agents, assignees, workmen and all those claiming title or authority from or under him or any of them stopping them from collecting rent, alienating and interference with the applicant’s (Mrs Kimaswa) use of the suit property comprised in Leasehold Register Volume HQT1248 Follio 22 Plot 9 Block Road Mbale Municipality, Pallisa Road Mbale District until the hearing and determination of Civil Suit No.40 of 2019 pending before this court or until further orders of this court.”

However, Mukhono and his associates, despite being served with the court order on January 24, 2020, went ahead to collect rent from some tenants that occupy the property as evidenced by the recent receipts given to tenants. Mrs.Kimaswa’s lawyers including Kisaalu Advocates say this is illegal and that they will sue Mukhono for Contempt of Court. The false priest is currently in hiding to the extent that he does not appear in court to defend himself.

While commenting on the implementation of the court order, one of Mrs.Kimaswa’s lawyers, Samuel Wegoye of Wegoye and Co. Advocates thanked security agencies and area local council authorities for lawfully executing the court order, even though he told tenants at the meeting on Friday that widow Kimaswa’s main suit against Mukhono remains pending in court for hearing and determination where among other costs, she seeks recovery legal costs.

Counsel Wegoye on Friday urged the tenants on the suit property to go to his office for advice on how best they can pay rent to the landlady now aged 86. He said it would look bad for the tenants to be thrown out unless they acted act against the court order as they follow Mukhono’s instructions.

Mukhono has over the years claimed he owns the commercial property even though he has no land title or sale agreement to prove ownership. Mrs Kimaswa says she has never sold or given Mukhono the suit property as he claims. A further analysis shows that documents from Mbale Municipal Council shows Mrs Kimaswa is the rightful owner of the property.

However, on Friday Mrs Kimaswa lauded court and security agencies for ensuring that justice prevails and has vowed to fight for her property, which she says she legally acquired and has never sold it or given it to anybody. “Mukhono claims I sold the property to him yet he has no sale agreement,” she says. “Mukhono further claims I freely gave the property to him and his Mt Elgon Independent Mission, but still this is also a lie because even when you give somebody property you have to put it in writing to protect them in future. I have never done this,” she adds.

Mukhono, who runs a cult-like church, with the help of con lawyer Magellan F Olubwe of Magellan F Olubwe & Co Advocates put a caveat on the suit property without Ms Kimaswa’s knowledge without availing proof of ownership or any legal document. Ms Kimaswa’s lawyers the action amounts to fraud. And they say they are in the process of invalidating the caveat as well as opening the suit against the fraudsters.

Olubwe operates an office on the suit property and rumour has it that he intended to share the building with false priest Mukhono in case they succeeded in their plan to steal the old lady’s property. Olubwe not long ago had hid name appear in media announcement as being one of those lawyers not approved to practice in Uganda by the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs. It is not clear whether he has cleared his name with authorities.

Mukhono’s other lawyer Enoth Mugabi of Enoth Mugabi Advocates & Solicitors tried to frustrate the implementation of the court order just bay way of writing letters to authorities, well knowing that a running court order can only be undone by court issuing another order. Our sources say Mugabi came into contact with con priest Mukhono courtesy of Olubwe and according to recent documents authored by the two lawyers, it seems they are more interested in frustrating the law than following it, which puts their ethical and professional standards scrutiny.

Mukhono’s family stays on the suit property without the consent of Mrs Kimaswa. She wants court to evict his family since he uses his stay on the property to claim ownership. She says Mukhono’s family is also a security threat to her and her family members, some of them in the past have had to be put in police cells for their claim of ownership of the property.

Mukhono has other land related cases in Mbale High Court as well as other cases related to violence and theft. The greedy pastor is further wanted by authorities for allegedly stealing two water tanks belonging to Mbale Municipal Council. However, Mbale residents still wonder how a mere pastor can evade arrest and prosecution in courts of law where has many cases to answer.

Investigations reveal that Mukhono’s church does not appear in government records as he continues to cheat the so-called members of millions of shillings in terms of church offertory, tithe, gifts and others. He also uses the same unregistered church to dupe government and other entities.