The commission caused a major political scandal when it implicated Vice-President Peter Mmusi and Minister of Agriculture Daniel Kwelagobe, both of whom held leadership positions in the dominant Botswana Democratic Party (BDP).
The accusations against Mmusi and Kwelagobe were declared void by the High Court of Botswana because they were not granted a hearing to defend themselves.
[4] Botswana underwent a period of significant urbanisation in the 1980s, causing the expansion of peri-urban villages around major cities.
[10] Mmusi then requested that the President of Botswana, Quett Masire, form a commission of inquiry regarding illicit land deals.
The commission was to be headed by Englishman Kgabo, who was a respected figure in the Botswana Democratic Party and had been a member since its founding in 1962.
[5] The commission blamed the spread of unauthorised land deals on the government's inability to carry them out in a timely manner.
[12] People who were questioned during the inquiry confirmed that those engaged in the land deals included high ranking government officials.
The commission also found that the involvement of high ranking figures such as Mmusi and Kwelagobe set an example that encouraged violations among the public.
[7] The commission concluded that Mmusi had acted inappropriately when he upheld Kwelagobe's appeal to obtain land in Nkoyaphiri, but had not done anything explicitly illegal.
It differed in some areas, rejecting the dissolution of any land boards and arguing that tribal chiefs' representatives should have less influence instead of more.
[16] Both the BDP and the opposition condemned Mmusi and Kwelagobe for their engagement in illegal land deals once the Kgabo Report was tabled for consideration, describing their actions as corruption and abuse of office.
[6] The political pressure convinced Mmusi and Kwelagobe to resign from their respective cabinet and party leadership positions.
[6] Mmusi and Kwelagobe insisted that the commission had been filled with political enemies as part of a conspiracy to oust them from their leadership positions.
[21] They attributed blame to a faction led by Mompati Merafhe, which included Roy Blackbeard, Chapson Butale, David Magang, and Bahiti Temane.
[22] In another attempt to restore their standing in the party, Mmusi and Kwelagobe travelled across Botswana to speak to other members of the BDP and regain their support.
[22] The High Court of Botswana ruled in favour of Mmusi and Kwelagobe on 26 August 1994 and declared the implications against them null and void.
[24] The Kgabo Commission coincided with other political scandals, including those at the Botswana Housing Corporation, the National Development Bank, and the distribution of supplies to primary schools.
[7] The scandal surrounding the Kgabo Commission was one of the factors that led to the establishment of the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime in 1994.
[6] Mogae and his successor Ian Khama both formally denounced factionalism but were generally understood to favour the A-Team.
[28] The factions that sprang from the Kgabo Commission remained the dominant forces in the BDP until 2010, when Barata-Phathi split to form the Botswana Movement for Democracy in protest of Khama's governance.
[30] Mogae introduced the Lesetedi Commission in 2004, which served a similar purpose investigating land trading in Gaborone.