Uganda's foreign ministry paid $4.5m for Colville Street plot in Kampala
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs paid about sh18.7 billion for a 0.242-hectare plot on Colville Street that houses Magic Car Parking, with its permanent secretary rejecting claims the price was $8 million.
Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has paid $4.5 million, about sh18.7 billion, for prime land in Kampala, according to New Vision. Permanent secretary Vincent Bagiire said the procurement went through all the required processes and that the land was bought at market price, without giving further details of the deal.
The site, which currently houses Magic Car Parking, measures approximately 0.2420 hectares. It is comprised in Plot 5C, Colville Street, and sits near the ministry’s headquarters.
Bagiire dismissed claims by opposition activist Moses Bigirwa that the ministry paid $8 million, about sh33.6 billion, and that the real cost was $4 million, about sh16.8 billion. “His unsubstantiated utterances are a desperate attempt to remain relevant after losing elections. We challenge him to offer evidence that the land was purchased at $8 million,” he said.
Documents seen by New Vision indicate that the ministry paid sh17.291 billion to acquire the land from Residence Plaza Limited, the registered proprietor, on 7 July 2026.
The permanent secretary did not explain why the ministry acquired the land, or whether it had been public property as alleged. He also did not comment on claims that the land was converted from leasehold to freehold tenure in August 2022 in favour of Residence Plaza Limited, a company led by director Samasdin Mohammed Charania.
According to the report, the Kampala District Land Board approved that conversion on 14 October 2015, and the duplicate leasehold certificate of title, LRV 3242 Folio 25, was reportedly cancelled by the lands ministry. The unanswered questions leave the acquisition facing scrutiny over public land and how the plot changed tenure before the purchase.