Uganda, Feb. 23 -- Thousands of homeowners and companies on contested land in the areas of Lubowa, Lweza, Bunamwaya, and Mutungo are living in fear following a High Court ruling that has exposed them to a possible eviction.

Late last year, the head of the Civil Division of the High Court, Justice Musa Ssekaana, ruled that the aggrieved party in the case, who are five administrators of the estate of the late Prince Yusuf Suuna Kiweewa, a Buganda Kingdom royal, have a legitimate interest in the land and that the same cannot be extinguished without government paying them off.

"It is declared that Yusuf Suuna Kiweewa's land comprised in Mailo Register Volume 273 Folio was eligible for the issue of a certificate of title under Block and Plot...