Government Cautions Land Owners on Money Lenders, Minister Issues 1500 land titles

Government has cautioned land owners in Greater Kibaale to desist using their titles as collateral when borrowing money from the different money lenders that offer loan facilities.

The call was made on May 19 by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja at an event in Nkooko Parish, Nkooko Town Council in Kakumiro District, where her lands counterpart Judith Nabakooba was handing over land titles on the belated Women’s Day fete that was organized in the district.
According to Nabbanja, it is dangerous for title holders to use the land as collateral security to acquire loans in banks.
"They will take your land, let no one play with you. Keep your land titles safe and utilize the land appropriately" she advised, urging the beneficiaries to desist from land fragmentation but utilize the land as a whole.
"Do not divide the land into small portions, there is a tendency of children dividing land after their parents dying and the majority end up selling it," she said.
The premier urged the newly registered land owners to guard their titles jealously and not squander them in deals that might make them lose out on their land.
“Having a title in your hands is a big achievement. Do not waste these titles, it is your road out of poverty. Do not put your titles in the bank to get money, study such decisions carefully before taking them,” she cautioned.

Land occupants from Kagadi and Kakumiro districts became rightful owners of the land after acquiring personalized land titles from the government.
Before Kakumiro, Lands Minister also gave out 1614 land titles to residents in Kagadi at Kenga Village, Kahunde Parish, Kagadi Sub County and urged residents to utilise the land for productive output.
"You are expected to use your land, which is free of disputes, to undertake commercial agriculture that will get you out of poverty. The next steps must therefore involve increasing productivity of the land to produce surplus for the market,” she said 
Nabakooba applauded the government for rescuing residents who were drowned in land disputes for decades saying the government resolved historic land injustices and returned the land to the rightful owners.
“I am pleased that you are now registered land owners and nobody will ever come to evict you from your land. Time for worrying and conflict is now over. The issue of protecting occupants issuing land titles is a key National Resistance Movement (NRM) election manifesto programme which will help sort out land disputes arising out of multiple interests on one piece of land."
Mr Yosia B. Ndibwami, Kagadi District Chairperson asked the lands minister to assist the remaining people in Buyaga West who have not yet acquired their land titles.
 
"There are some people there who have not yet acquired ownership of the land. I request that this exercise keeps going on to ensure all land disputes are sorted," he requested the Minister.
Barnabas Tinkasiimire, the Buyaga West legislator shared with the minister about the biggest challenge in Kagadi over land being absentee landlords on Mailo land and asked for her quick intervention to advise on the matter.
This Mailo land formerly comprised land in Buyaga Block 65 Plot 8, Kagadi District measuring a total of 1,791 acres equivalent to two square miles.
Buyaga land originally belonged to the Private Estate of Lolenti Musoke and later to Joseph Kyambade (Administrator of the Estate of the Late Lolenti Musoke).
Government compensated Joseph Kyambadde and transferred the title to Uganda Land Commission on September 04, 2004.
For the entire Greater Kibaale region, the Government through the Land Fund has acquired a total of 150,128.95 acres equivalent to 238 Square Miles.
The number of beneficiaries comprising of Institutional land is 34. This includes Schools, Health Centres, Markets, Parks, Faith based institutions, forests, wetlands and road reserves which account for 2.1 percent.
The female beneficiaries comprise 361, accounting for 22.4 percent, the total beneficiaries, while the male comprise 1,124 comprising 69.6 percent.  The Joint ownership of female and male was 95, comprising 5.9 percent of the beneficiaries.
In total, the Government has used the Land Fund to acquire 334,458 acres equivalent to 523 Square Miles of land across the entire country as part of Government strategy to stop illegal land evictions.