Minister Nabakooba Stops Uganda Land Commission from Giving Out Forest Land to State House.

Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Judith Nabakooba intervened and  stopped Uganda Land Commission from giving out forest land to State House under the directorate of National Technological Demonstration center in community- led industrialization.

According to our sources, Minister Nabakooba received a letter dated 28th/March/2023  under ref EO/73/171/02 saying that the President had identified the land at Gunda at Katabi Town Council in Wakiso District for the set up of National Technological Demonstration center under the directorate of community- led industrialization under State House' reads part of the letter from Prime Minister to Minister Nabakooba. Prime Minister's letter further said that, the mandate of the center was to promote industrialization at village levels, parishes and Subcounty levels.

Our sources added that after reading the Prime Minister's letter, Nabakooba forwarded the matter to Uganda Land Commission to establish, determine and come up with the final decision. Our sources revealed that Uganda Land Commission allocated the said land to National Technological Demonstration center under the directorate of community-led industrialization and also gave the remaining land to other beneficiaries for mixed use developments including Hotels, Apartments and housing in line with the zoning of areas and trend of development in the neighborhood. Our sources say that after the land had been given out, other people went to the Minister of lands claiming that they had applied for some parts on the same land without knowing the knowledge of a forest reserve and paid ground and premium rent  to Uganda Land Commission adding that they were never told that the land is in the forest reserve.

Our sources also told us that as the process of giving out land was going through, the Uganda Land Commission recieved a copy of the letter from Commissioner Land Registration forbidding the requisition of the Land at Gunda under the registrar on the grounds that the same land was gazetted as a forest reserve. Our sources also revealed that the Commissioner Land registration told Uganda Land Commission that any allocation on the said land MUST follow the de-gazettement process as required by law saying that it must be parliament to have a final decision. 

Nabakooba later convened a meeting with stake holders including Ministry of Water and Enviroment, Uganda Land Commission and Wakiso District Land Board to solve the matter. And after the meeting of stake holders, Minister Nabakooba informed the President the outcomes of the findings as follows, that; Gunda Land is a local Forest reserve and therefore falls under management of Wakiso District local government having been gazzetted in 1932 with the further being reaffirmed under statutory instrument 146-1 of 1998 of the Forest Act, that to halt and rescind the allocations made on the land and that the allocates be provided with alternative land, that Uganda Land Commission work hand in hand with Wakiso District local government and other stake holders to have Gunda Local Forest reserve degazetted to pave way for the set up of National Technological Demonstration center and lastly, to cancel all tittles processed on that Land.