In a dramatic turn of events, senior city lawyer Fred Muwema has been evicted from his law firm offices in Kololo on Friday, March 6, 2026, after defaulting on rent arrears amounting to Shs1.4 billion.
Mean-looking court bailiffs carried out the eviction. They removed and threw out furniture, files, and other office property belonging to M/S Muwema & Co. Advocates from the premises located on Windsor Crescent Road.
Muwema and his law firm were evicted court ruled in favor of their landlord, Downtown Investments Ltd.
Justice Patricia Mutesi of the Commercial Division of the High Court of Uganda ruled that M/S Muwema & Co. Advocates breached their lease agreement.
That while M/S Muwema & Co. Advocates and Downtown Investments Ltd had signed a five-year lease in December 2014 for the property at a monthly rent of US $5,000 plus VAT (which was later increased to US $10,000 per month, the lease expired in December 2019.
Yet after the expiry of the lease, Muwema & Co. Advocates did not stop occupying the premises. The law firm even paid rent until December 2021.
Not seeing money coming through the landlord, Downtown Investments Ltd, issued demand notices to Muwema & Co. Advocates.
The firm would pay US $50,000 in June 2023. Outstanding arrears to the tune of $148,300 complicated matters between Downtown Investments Ltd and Muwema & Co. Advocates.
In court, Muwema & Co. Advocates had argued that it had offered to buy the property in 2021, and that therefore, stopped paying rent to the landlord.
The judge ruled that Downtown Investments Ltd did not agree to Muwema & Co. Advocates’ offer. The law firm did not present evidence of a sale agreement to back up its argument.
In the end, Justice Mutesi directed that Muwema & Co. Advocates pay the arrears and vacate the property. It was on the basis of this ruling that court bailiffs swung in action on Friday, 06 March 2026, and evicted Muwema & Co. Advocates.
In recent years, prominent tycoons and officials have been choking on debts, with some of their properties taken and others saved by the president. (See related reporting Here, There and Over There).
