The High Court Commercial Division has fined businessman Shukla Mukesh and his companies a total of 4 million US dollars for illegally occupying part of Shumuk House, a prime commercial building in Kampala.
The companies named in the ruling are Shumuk Springs Development Ltd, Springs International Development Hotel Ltd, and Shumuk Financial Services Ltd.
The decision follows a long-running legal battle over ownership of the property, formerly known as Blacklines House, located at Plot 2 Colville Street. The dispute initially involved the late city tycoon Bonney Mwebesa Katatumba, whose estate has been locked in court fights over the building for years.
In his ruling, Commercial Division Judge Justice Stephen Mubiru found that Shukla Mukesh and his companies unlawfully occupied part of the property, leading to the hefty financial penalty.
The court also resolved a related dispute involving Joseph Ssempebwa and Peter Lule, who had claimed ownership of 24 out of the 92 condominium units within Shumuk House.
Justice Mubiru ruled that both Ssempebwa and Lule hold equitable interests in the property that cannot be overridden. He clarified that the sale agreements presented in court did not extinguish Ssempebwa’s rights over his condominium units, nor did they affect Lule’s ownership of eleven units he purchased from the late Katatumba.
The judgment brings clarity to the complex ownership structure of the building and marks a major legal victory for the heirs of Bonney Katatumba, effectively settling years of litigation surrounding one of Kampala’s most valuable commercial properties.
