Nabakooba Cautions Landlord On Soliciting Money From Tenants, Directs State House Anti Corruption To Intervene

 Lands minister, Judith Nabakooba has cautioned landlords against soliciting exorbitant money from tenants and directed the State House Anti-corruption Unit to intervene and investigate the matter conclusively.

This followed complaints that locals in Gomba District presented to President Museveni during the Heroes Day celebrations at Kasooli village in Mpenja Sub-county on June 9. Ms Nabakooba learned that landlords collect money locally known in Gomba as “Ekanzu” before a tenant makes any developments on their Kibanja.

She directed Mr John Muhwezi, a landlord in four villages, to return the money to tenants. “State-House Anti-corruption, take this man and he avails the list of all his tenants such that they receive back their money,” Ms Nabakooba said as she addressed locals from different villages of Gomba at Ssaza in Kanoni Town Council on June 20. 

The minister was in the area to do community sensitisation of locals about land rights but her mission was diverted after locals raised overwhelming land cases in the area. “Ekanzu is not indicated anywhere in the law. Allow people to start paying Busuulu, nominal ground rent because it is the one known in the law,” Ms Nabakooba directed.

It is alleged that Mr Muhwezi has been collecting Ekanzu for the last three years since he acquired the land and a tenant who sits on an acre has been paying Shs100,000 and Shs1 million for a person with 10 acres. The money collected by landlords as address fee from tenants was first revealed to the President by Ms Mariam Nalweyiso, chairperson of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) mobilisers in Gomba during Heroes’ Day celebrations.

Ms Nalweyiso told the President that if this kind of extortion of his voters continues, it will affect their work as mobilizers to rally angry residents. “I thank the President because in his response, he directed that collection of money stops immediately and this has been done by the lands minister,” Ms Nalweyiso said.

Mr Muhwezi admitted that he has been collecting money from the tenants claiming they agreed on the fees with local people working together with the area leaders. “We decided that a landlord must be given Ekanzu. And that has been the exercise by all landlords in Gomba,” Mr Muhwezi said before he was taken in by the Anti-Corruption team.

 Matongo Parish Chairperson, Mr Francis Ssenabulya said in 2021, he wrote to all landlords in his area asking them to come and start taking their Busuulu but they refused.

He even advertised in the newspapers but in vain. “Some landlords cooperated with us and they have been collecting their Busuulu very well but Mr Muhwezi refused.

He instead continued to collect Ekanzu,” Mr Ssenabulya said. He revealed that Mr Muhwezi’s land sits on four villages of Lubaale “A” and Lubaale “B”, Kunyamimwa and Kitayitwako all in Kabulasoke Sub-county. Mr Ssenabulya said the money being collected is high and the people cannot afford it. He also refuted agreeing with the landlord to have tenants pay Ekanzu saying whenever they convened meetings, other leaders in support of the landlords could not give him a chance to speak.

The chairperson said tenants have been paying this money once as registration fee to enter the landlords’ records and those who delayed to pay it were being asked to pay a fine of non-compliance in time.

When Mr Ssenabulya tried to convince Muhwezi to accept Busuulu, he reportedly said he has the supreme powers over the land and how he cannot travel from Kampala to come for Busuulu in Gomba. 

Ms Nabakooba told tenants that in Gomba District, those living in a village are required to pay Shs5,000 annually, those under the town board pay Shs20,000, and in a town council Shs40,000. Some of the cases that the minister captured from the community meeting were conspiracy to defraud, falsoe pretense and asked the Criminal Investigation Directorate (CID) of Gomba and Anti-Corruption to investigate them. 

“The allegations were too many and some of them require time to look at the documentation and require time. Some require writing experts to ascertain the evidence that has been submitted,” she noted.

 Nabakooba directed that those who were evicted from their bibanja be returned back by the CID working with the Gomba District Police Commander. “I have given them one week to get a response.” Ms Mary Nantale, a resident of Kunyamimwa said she has half an acre and the landlord asked her to pay Shs50,000.

She added that she has another plot of land and she was asked to pay another Shs50,000 yet it is very small. Ms Agnes Nakigozi has a quarter of an acre but she was asked to pay Shs80,000 but upon payment, she did not receive any receipt and is now worried if her money will be refunded.