Members of Parliament on the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) have directed the Departed Asians Property Custodian Board (DAPCB) to produce a comprehensive and verified list of all properties under its management within weeks.
The instruction followed a tense review of the Auditor General’s report for the financial year ending June 30, 2024, which exposed significant weaknesses in the board’s operations, including missing records, incomplete asset registers and failure to carry out key statutory duties.
The committee, chaired by Mpindi Bumali, raised concern that more than five decades after the 1972 expulsion of Asians from Uganda, government authorities still lack a clear record of the properties that were taken over at the time.
DAPCB was established under the Assets of Departed Asians Act of 1973 to take custody of properties left behind after former president Idi Amin ordered the expulsion of about 80,000 Asians. The law requires the board to document the assets, determine their value and dispose of them through transparent procedures.
But according to the Auditor General’s findings, these obligations have not been fully implemented.
Appearing before the committee, the board’s Executive Secretary, George William Bizibu, acknowledged that the institution does not yet have a complete register of all properties under its control. He said the board is still conducting a verification exercise and working with Parliament to finalise the records.
Bizibu added that before the board is eventually wound up, a new gazette notice will be issued and a full inventory of the properties will be made public.
The explanation did little to convince some legislators.
Richard Muhumuza Gafabusa, the MP for Bwamba County, questioned how the board has been collecting revenue and selling some properties without first establishing an accurate inventory.
“What exactly did you gazette? Do you have an asset register that includes the value of these properties? On what basis are you disposing of them?” he asked.
Bizibu told MPs that properties that have been sold remain on the board’s register until buyers complete payment. He also said the board had developed a work plan, although it was not presented to the auditors during the review.
Further concerns were raised by the audit findings, which revealed that 115 properties compensated through the British High Commission in 1999 have never been valued. Another 87 properties compensated through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees remain unsold.
Some of these cases have remained unresolved for decades, increasing the risk of illegal occupation, fraudulent claims and loss of government revenue through prolonged disputes.
Since the 1990s, Uganda has compensated owners for 344 properties through arrangements facilitated by the United Nations. In 2025, government launched a fresh verification exercise targeting more than 200 claimants, giving them six months to provide proof of ownership following allegations of fraud, including double compensation and irregular sales.
Juliet Kinyamatama, the Woman MP for Rakai District, urged the board to make its processes more transparent so Parliament can properly exercise oversight.
“We need evidence of the process and confirmation that the board has agreed to it so that we can hold you accountable,” she said.
Concerns about potential abuse of the system were also raised by Francis Mwijukye, the MP for Buhweju County, who questioned whether ghost claimants had infiltrated the compensation process and whether some ministers had donated properties outside the established framework.
Bizibu conceded that there have been cases where ministers exercised their authority to allocate properties but did not provide details of the transactions.
MPs were also troubled by the board’s failure to meet regularly as required by law. The governing legislation requires monthly board meetings, yet the audit showed that only one meeting was held during the period under review, on July 29, 2023. Notes referenced in the audit attributed the irregular meetings to ministers’ busy schedules.
Lawmakers described the situation as a sign of weak governance and poor oversight.
A government plan to wind up the board was drafted in the 2021/2022 financial year, but the process has stalled due to unresolved claims and lack of proper documentation. Parliament has also suspended aspects of the broader government rationalisation programme until outstanding property disputes are settled.
For legislators, the unresolved issues highlight the continued risk of corruption and asset mismanagement.
Until a verified and transparent register is produced, MPs warned, the fate of many of the properties taken over after the 1972 expulsion will remain uncertain, leaving them vulnerable to illegal allocations and protracted legal battles.
