Nabakooba Cancels Land Title, Orders Arrest Of Mubende Local Leaders Over Land Matters

The Minister or Lands housing and urban development Hon Judith Nabakooba has ordered for the cancellation of a land title in Mubende and subsequently ordered the arrest of Mubende East Division Mayor, Charles Kawuma and Kanseera village chairperson Muntu Banadda over land matters.

 The cancelled title is a freehold measuring 373.1670 hectares belonging to Tubikak [U] Limited.

According to locals, the company fraudulently acquired and registered their land without their knowledge.

 “Let that title be cancelled and we have peace in the area. There is no way you can register land which does not belong to you. That is fraud of the highest order,” she ordered, amidst wailings of how the landlord had asked them to pay for all the expenses he incurred during land registration to sign on transfer forms.

 The directive followed outc

ries from locals at Biwalwe village, Kanyogoga parish, Butoloogo Sub County, where the minister had convened a village meeting on January 22.

Mr Spriano Bacuza, Biwalwe village chairperson, said all along they thought their land was public but Tubikak came claiming ownership, which prompted locals to contact a search in 2022 and found out it had a title.

He appreciated the minister for a bold decision she made which bounds for all locals and is likely to restore sanity in the area.

“We are a poor community staying far away from the town and our economic activity is seasonal farming. Many people cannot afford the money we were asked for,” Mr Bacuza said.

Hope Grania Nakazibwe, Mubende Woman MP had earlier asked locals to negotiate with the landlord and have the title transferred to the community name after making cooperatives which the minister refused, insisting the title was fraudulently acquired.

Mubende District chairperson Michael Muhereza Ntambi had also earlier suggested that locals cooperate with the company and have a transfer made, but it was rejected by locals.

 In Kanseera village, however, the minister learned that the mayor and village chairperson connived and sold off Kitawuluzi village’s land.

Locals reported that their chairperson Banadda was even a no-show at the meeting over fraud cases.

 “Let the mayor and the chairperson be arrested immediately and make statements. If we had police officers here, they were supposed to sleep in custody today,” the minister ordered.

Mr Peter Nsubuga, Kawumulwa village chairperson, named several land blocks where landlords are tormenting locals. In a common scenario, the landlord coerces a tenant to give him the biggest part of their bibanja in exchange for a title but they disappear immediately after agreeing.

 “The landlord comes with a buyer and after signing an agreement of sharing the land, they sell it and disappear without giving us titles. Many people are victims in this area,” he said.

 For a tenant with 10 acres of Kibanja for example, once they reach an agreement, the landlord takes nine acres and leaves only one acre to the tenant. They use police officers in the area who aid the forgery and land grabbing.

 “We ask President Museveni, our dear father, to help us buy this land through the Land Fund as the case has been elsewhere.”

 In Madudu Sub County, a Chinese company, Formosa Tree Planting Company, has allegedly since 2015 acquired 10 square miles hosting more than 10 villages. The firm also reportedly arrested more than 10 locals who were pioneering the fight for their land and they have been in prison for eight years.

 “Workers of that company camped in our area and destroyed our property, and food in addition to issuing death threats. We are no longer using our land yet farming is our only source of income,” Mr Edward Habiyaremye, Madudu Sub County chairperson said.

He asked the minister to convey their request to President Museveni to have their relatives released, assuring him of the full support of the National Resistance Movement government.

Ms Nabakooba promised to reach their plea to the President, arguing that he has the final say on serving prisoners.

 She also called the Regional Police Commander-RPC of North Kyoga region, ACP Stephen Onencan Jacan, on a telephone call, ordering him to convene a community meeting before Sunday to have all security threats addressed.