Ugandan Lieutenant Colonel Abdu Kisuule later said that the Ugandans' defeat at Masaka was critical in determining their later loss of the entire war. The town was left heavily damaged by the battle, and most of the population sought refuge in lodges in Kampala after the war. By 1980 only 6,000 residents remained in Masaka. The Masaka District administrative headquarters were relocated in a private residence. The assistant district commissioner estimated that it would cost $20 million to rebuild the town. Masaka was further damaged by fighting in 1985 during the Ugandan Bush War. As late as 2002 ruins from 1979 conflict were still visible, and some compromised buildings remained abandoned. By 2013 most of the damaged landmarks had either been replaced or were being rehabilitated. Records of municipal property were lost when the town hall was destroyed, and in lieu of the documentation of ownership businessmen privatised the public lands for their own use. Following a petition from the local government, in 2013 the Ministry of Lands returned 23 disputed properties to municipal control.