The authorities further accuse Zziwa of conniving with various land officials and land grabbers to facilitate illegal transactions and fraudulent acquisition of land.
A senior lands officer in Masaka has been arrested over allegations of illegally reducing former Vice President Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi’s landholding by 49 acres and creating fraudulent titles on the disputed property.
Zziwa Colbert Tamale, the Senior Land Officer at the Masaka Ministry Zonal Office, was arrested on Wednesday evening by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit in collaboration with the Uganda Police Force in Masaka.
Zziwa is accused of involvement in a wider land fraud scheme in the Greater Masaka region, including the alleged illegal issuance of more than 265 land titles on Central Forest Reserve land and privately owned property.
According to investigators, Zziwa, together with other officials, allegedly tampered with Ssekandi’s land records in Kyanamukaaka, Masaka, reducing his landholding from 83 acres to 34 acres.
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The officer allegedly went ahead to subdivide the remaining land into several plots and create a fraudulent title, according to the Anti-Corruption Unit.
The authorities further accuse Zziwa of conniving with various land officials and land grabbers to facilitate illegal transactions and fraudulent acquisition of land.
He is also alleged to have been involved in a scheme to extort money from hundreds of residents in Sembabule by falsely claiming that he could facilitate the acquisition of free land titles.
The Anti-Corruption Unit said this was despite the Ministry of Lands providing free titles to selected residents, particularly those facing eviction threats arising from land disputes.
Zziwa is expected to be arraigned before court once investigations are completed.
The authorities have appealed to residents of Greater Masaka who may have complaints or information concerning Zziwa’s alleged activities to report to Masaka Police Station or call 0800202500.
He could face charges including abuse of office, fraudulent procurement of a certificate of title, conspiracy to commit a felony and forgery.