By Whisper Eye Investigative Bureau Unit (WEIBU)
Kampala City lawyers, Fred Muwema and Kagoro Friday of Muwema & Co. Advocates are entangled in a rent liability, after being dragged to the Commercial Court for alleged rental arrears of US$148,000. #WhisperEyeNews
According to court documents, Downtown Investments Limited, a company is alleging that the amount in question is owed by the Kampala-based law firm and its partners Fred Muwema and Kagoro Friday Roberts having accrued as unpaid rent for the period commencing from 15th December 2021 up to date.
Downtown Investments Ltd have filed Civil Suit No. 0621 of 2023 against the law firm for recovery of the rental arrears. The case is pending hearing and determination before Justice Harriet Magala of the Commercial Court.
On 12th July 2023, Downtown Investments Ltd terminated the tenancy agreement with Muwema and gave the law firm 30 days to vacate the premises. Despite the expiration of the notice on 12th August 2023 the law firm has refused to peacefully vacate the premises.
According to documents filed in court, Downtown Investments Ltd insist that Muwema & Co. Advocates defaulted in making timely payments of the monthly rent and by 30th May 2023 the rent had accumulated to US Dollars 182,400.
However, Fred Muwema’s lawyers pleaded with Downtown Investments Ltd after receiving a demand notice for US Dollars 182,400 and they made a partial payment of 50,000 USD of the outstanding rental arrears and the amount due and owing was reduced to USD 148,300 at the time of filing the court case.
According to Whisper Eye Judicial Reporter, Downtown Investments Ltd wants the Court to hold the Muwema & Co. Advocates with its partners Fred Muwema and Kagoro Friday Roberts liable for rent arrears in the amount of US$148,300 (One Hundred Forty-Eight Thousand Three Hundred United States Dollars), representing the period commencing 15th December 2021.
The Tenancy Agreement attached to the court documents shows that the agreed monthly rent was US Dollars 5,500 in 2014 but subject to 18% VAT and a 10% annual increment after the first 24 months. It is these sums that are said to have accumulated to the 148,000 US Dollars now being claimed.
In another twist, Downtown Investments Limited has now formally lodged a complaint of criminal trespass against Fred Muwema and Kagoro Friday Roberts and has also sought the intervention of police to have the law firm evicted.
Whisper Eye’s efforts to get the other side of Fred Muwema and Kagoro Friday Roberts were futile by the time of filing this story.
Our efforts are still to determine their reaction to the pending cases against them.
