By Mubiru Ivan
One time African Rally Champion and city property mogul, Charles Muhangi was on Thursday morning found lying dead in bed by a medic at his posh residence in Buziga.
The development was confirmed by Vincent Sekaate, Crime Intelligence Directorate (CID) Spokesperson.
He said they have already dispatched CID detectives to the deceased’s home to investigate the cause of his death.
Muhangi’s body has been taken to Mulago Hospital for postmortem.
Who was Charles Muhangi?
Muhangi came to limelight in the late 1990s after becoming a finest motor rally driver.
Together with his co-driver Stephan Byaruhanga, the crew were the first Black Africans to win the African Rally Championship (ARC) back in 1999. This feat he achieved in a Subaru Impreza which he had nicknamed “kitaguriro” due to its distinctive popping sound.
He also won the Uganda Rally Champion for two consecutive times (1998 and 1999).
The 65 year old rally ace also won the Pearl Rally in 1998, Zimbabwe Rally in 1999, Rally of Rwanda just to mention but a few.
Muhangi was the proprietor of Horizon buses.
Over the years, the city businessman has been in a legal battle with fellow businessmen Drake Lubega and Mansour Matovu (Young) over ownership of Qualicel Bus Terminal that led to the eviction of Horizon buses from the park in 2014.
The prime city property ownership dispute stemmed from a July 20, 2011 letter in which President Yoweri Museveni directed the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development to take steps to rectify the anomaly that had given rise to the wrangle.
The President also advised the cancellation of certificates of title found to have been acquired fraudulently.
In April 2015, the Constitutional Court ordered Lubega to restore peaceful status quo that existed before the dispute.
In 2017, panel of Judges of the Supreme Court led by Jotham Tumwesigye dismissed an appeal in which Lubega was challenging the Constitutional Court order requiring him to vacate the bus park.
According to Daily Monitor, in a June 1, 2017 letter, Court Bailiffs of Ritchiebros Auctioneers issued to Lubega a notice requiring him to vacate the said premises in the central business district. “You have since then deliberately, intentionally or and negligently refused to adhere to the directives of the Constitutional Court by continuing to occupy the same land. ‘
The following week, Muhangi issued a notice requiring all tenants at Qualicel and Nabukeera Commercial buildings who wanted to continue with the business to register at his Horizon Coaches offices on Namirembe Road.
Though the case was resolved in Court, the two businessmen continued to fight over the property which prompted President Museveni to meet them last month to solve the issue.
During the meeting, Museveni told the two parties to resolve their difference amicably without interfering in the tenants’ rights to trade.
Muhangi and Lubega had agreed that the president should chair their negotiations. Unfortunately, the former has died before settling his differences with the latter.
This is a developing story….
