Lands Minister Judith Nabakooba has ordered an investigation into the alleged fraudulent conversion of more than 1,500 acres of customary land in Nakapiripirit District into freehold, amid claims that the transaction was conducted without the consent of the community.
Ms Nabakooba also directed security to arrest anyone found to have participated in the alleged irregular conversion and acquisition of the land.
The disputed land is located in Kawach Sub-county and is claimed by residents who say it was allocated to them by the Government after part of the former Pian Upe Game Reserve was degazetted to accommodate communities displaced from other government land.
More than 12,000 households are reportedly affected by the dispute, which involves Nakapiripirit District Speaker Richard Lochoto. Residents accuse Mr Lochoto of claiming part of the land, obtaining a freehold title and later selling it.
Ms Nabakooba issued the directives on September 7 after visiting the area to hear grievances from affected communities.
She handed the matter to the district security committee, headed by Resident District Commissioner Ajirong Bessie Modesta, and ordered it to collect all relevant information and submit a report within two weeks.
The minister said the investigation should establish how the land was converted from customary tenure to freehold and identify everyone involved in the process.
She also ordered a probe into allegations that signatures of local leaders were forged on documents used to process the land.
“If there are people who say their signatures were forged, we shall get a handwriting expert to establish whether they actually signed the transfer documents,” Ms Nabakooba said.
She added that if investigations establish that the title was obtained fraudulently, it would be cancelled and the land returned to the community.
Ms Nabakooba also directed Ministry of Lands officials to help residents form a Communal Land Association (CLA) to enable them to collectively register and manage the land.
“This is one way that is going to help you keep your land from grabbers. If you hold it together, then you will be in a position to decide on different land uses,” she said.
Land documents
Documents presented during the meeting show that an approved land file for registration of a freehold title was forwarded to the Commissioner for Land Registration on November 4, 2021.
A freehold offer dated October 25, 2021, shows that the District Land Board had approved a freehold grant to Mr Lochoto following an application dated October 2, 2018.
The offer stated that the land was intended for farming and required the applicant to meet costs related to surveying, registration and issuance of a certificate of title, as well as compensation for any sitting tenants.
The documents also show that Mr Lochoto described the land as vacant during the application process.
The application contained the names and signatures of members of the area land committee who recommended it to the District Land Board.
Residents, however, disputed the claim that the land was vacant, saying the community had been using it and had plans to establish public facilities before the freehold application was processed.
Paul Longok Lochio, the Okudud village chairperson, said the land had become increasingly important following the restoration of peace in Karamoja.
He said residents who previously depended mainly on cattle and guns for their livelihoods were increasingly turning to farming.
“People here now depend on farming to get food and feed their families. That is why land is very important to us,” Mr Longok said.
He accused land grabbers of taking advantage of high levels of illiteracy in the area to process land documents without residents’ knowledge.
Kawach Sub-county chairperson Angella Gabriel Aroor, who was chairperson of the sub-county area land committee when the transaction was processed, said local leaders were not informed when the land was surveyed.
He questioned how the land could have been surveyed and processed without the involvement of the area land committee.
“How can you survey land without our signatures? How can you pass our backs and approve things when we are not informed?” Mr Aroor asked.
The community has asked the Ministry of Lands to conduct a fresh survey to establish the actual size and boundaries of the disputed land.
Residents also said they plan to establish a community market on part of the land, particularly for cattle traders, because Kawach lacks a market where residents can sell their animals.
Government land
State Minister for Karamoja Affairs and Nakapiripirit Woman MP Esther Anyakun said the Government should protect the land because it was intended to benefit communities previously displaced from other areas.
She said residents had petitioned the Government over lack of land after some people were displaced from areas occupied by government institutions, including prison land.
“This particular land was given to the communities by the Government because many people were found as squatters on the prison’s land, with nowhere to go,” Ms Anyakun said.
She said the Government subsequently degazetted land to accommodate the affected communities.
Ms Anyakun warned that the dispute had become tense, with rival groups allegedly threatening one another.
She urged the District Land Board to conduct physical verification before approving applications involving large pieces of land.
She specifically called for ground checks whenever applications for 10 acres or more are submitted to establish whether the land exists, whether it is occupied and whether there are competing claims.
Land board defence
Nakapiripirit District Land Board secretary Jobs Ilukol said the board followed the required procedures when processing Mr Lochoto’s application.
He said the board relied on records and minutes submitted by the area land committee before considering the application.
Mr Ilukol said the District Land Board does not own or sell land but processes applications based on documents and recommendations submitted to it.
“The board’s role ends after approving or rejecting an application, while the applicant is responsible for pursuing registration and obtaining a certificate of title,” he said.
