COURT! New date for hearing Minister Oleru’s hubby rent arrears case fixed

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BY ANDREW COHEN AMVESI

The Chief Magistrate’s Court of Arua has fixed a new date for hearing the case in which Abason Ingamule, the husband of Huda Abason Oleru, the Minister of State for Defence and Veteran Affairs was accused of failing to clear rent arrears amounting to Shs5, 421, 961.

The case which was supposed to come up for hearing on March 15, 2023 (yesterday) was pushed to April 13, 2023 following the absence of His Worship Edgar Tukahaabwa, the magistrate assigned to handle the matter. Tukahaabwa is among the several legal officers attending an official meeting in Kampala.

The case now in public domain, was on February 2, 2023 filed by Jurua Karilo Alia who in his suit, alleged that Ingamule failed to clear rent arrears, water bill and personal belongings, all amounting to Shs5, 421, 961. The civil suit number 0013 of 2023 was filed in the Chief Magistrate’s court of Arua.

In the suit filed through his lawyer, Henry Odama of M/S Odama and Co. Advocates, Jurua claimed that Ingamule rented his house at Niva Cell (Junior Quarters) in Arua Central Division, Arua City for 3 years and 9 months from October 2017 to July 2021 at the rate of shs500,000 per month.

Ingamule is said to have happily lived in the house with his family until his wife, Oleru was sworn in as the Member of Parliament (MP) representing Aringa East County and later a Minister thus shifting to stay in Kampala.

“That the plaintiff (Jurua) received a total of Shs19,000,000 broken down as (Shs17,000,000, Shs500,000, Shs1,000,000 and Shs500,000) out of a total of Shs22,500,000 leaving outstanding balance of Shs3,500,000. That at the time of vacating the house, the Defendant (Ingamule) left an accumulated water bill of Shs1,271,961 totaling to Shs4,771,961,” the suit read in part.

“That when the Defendant (Ingamule) left the house, he went with the plaintiff’s personal belongings to wit; 10 pcs of plastic chairs each at Shs25,000 totaling to Shs250,000, 10 pcs of plastic stools each at Shs10,000 totaling to Shs100,000, 2 pcs of plastic tables each at Shs25,000 totaling to Shs50,000, 3 pcs of double curtains each at Shs50,000 totaling to Shs150,000 and 1 flat Iron Philips original at Shs100,000, all totaling to Shs650,000,” Jurua claimed in the court documents.

Jurua who is also the chairperson of NRM Yellow Brigade, a political pressure group in the West Nile region further told court that due to the accumulated water bill that remained unpaid by Ingamule, National Water and Sewerage Corporation staff removed the water meter which made his premises inhabitable to tenants until to date hence causing him loss in terms of rental income.

But in his defence filed in Court on February 21, 2023 through his lawyer, Nasur Muhamad Buga of M/S Buga & Co. Advocates, Ingamule denied entering into tenancy agreement with Jurua and therefore, not indebted to him to the tune of Shs5,421,961.

Ingamule instead claimed that Jurua borrowed Shs17m from him which he hasn’t cleared in full.

“Jurua borrowed money from me even the document tabled in the court has that content of the money he borrowed. He borrowed Shs17,000,000 from me and I was supposed to enter his house but I have not entered, I wanted my money back but he has not paid. Instead of paying my money, he has gone ahead to sue me, so the matter is now in court and my lawyers are handling it,” Ingamule said in an earlier interview on phone.

However, when contacted, neighbors and Zainab Adigo, the Niva Cell LCI Chairperson confirmed to journalists that Ingamule rented Jurua’s house for more than three years, adding that they can bear witness.

Meanwhile in his remarks, Jurua acknowledged that he borrowed Shs17m from Ingamule which he used to renovate the house in question and also erect a fence around it.

“It is true I borrowed Shs17m from Ingamule which I later kept on deducting out of rent. When I finished deducting the money, Ingamule paid me additional Shs2m covering four months, all totaling to Shs19m. But as he continued staying, more rent arrears kept on accumulating until he left my house without clearing the money, a reason I took him to court after requesting him to pay the balance in vain,” Jurua said.