Nabakooba Reaffirms Government’s Commitment To Register Anglican Church Land

The Lands Minister, Judith Nabakooba, has reaffirmed the government's commitment to register and restore all land belonging to the Church of Uganda, vowing to ensure no chunk of church land is left behind in the exercise launched last month at Namirembe Provincial Secretariat in Kampala.

Nabakooba made the revelation while presiding over a ceremony held at St Andrew’s Anglican Cathedral Namukozi in Mityana District to mark 47 years of Mityana Anglican Diocese’s existence on July 6.

She revealed that her ministry sat with church leaders and unveiled a plan that will leave no land unregistered. She requested the bishops to raise all the issues concerning land in their jurisdictions during this time.

“My ministry has created a technical team that is going to work with the team from the church to lay strategies on how the registration process is going to be conducted,” she said.

The minister added that they will do all the documentation on the land and shield it from grabbers and conflicts with the communities where this land is located.

The 47 year celebrations started off with a church service led by Bishop Dunstan Kopoliano Bukenya, the retired bishop of Mityana alongside the serving Bishop, Rev James Bukomeko.

Bishop Bukomeko told the minister that they have a land issue in the Ssekanyonyi area where land administrators claim ownership of the church donated land.

“Our church has lived there for many years but there is a group of people who came demanding us to present documents for that land,” Bishop Bukomeko said.

He wondered how the current generation is expressing greed for properties belonging to the church.
“They no longer have shame in front of church leaders. How can you attempt to steal from God?” Bishop Bukomeko wondered.
He unveiled plans for the diocese to construct a shopping mall in Mityana Town where they have just acquired a piece of land. This, he said, is one of the church projects that will raise money for running church activities.

“The new site has old structures that we plan to demolish and erect a multi-million project starting next month,” he said.
Different dignitaries and the congregation from different deaneries collected money at a fundraiser aimed at putting up the new structure and Shs295 million cash was raised.

Rev Moses Semugooma, the treasury to the cathedral said this is the money that has opened up their account for this project and asked anyone willing to send in their contributions.    

Ms Nabakooba said such activities are in line with the government’s agenda of ensuring socio-economic transformation for all.
“I take this opportunity to reiterate the President’s call for active participation in all government programs to alleviate poverty. Utilise Parish Development Model Funds to elevate your living standards,” she told the congregation.

She condemned corruption embedded in leaders offering government programs at the ground level saying no one should ask for money when people who apply to benefit from such programmes.
Last year, St Andrew’s Namukozi Anglican cathedral held a similar fundraiser where they collected over Shs100 million which was to set up modern rest rooms at the diocese and are near completion.

The celebrations were graced by Anglicans from different districts that make up the diocese like Mityana, Kiboga, Kassanda, Mubende, and Kyankwanzi.

Mityana Anglican Diocese was created on May 22, 1977 by The Most Rev Silvanus Wani, curving from West Buganda Diocese. This makes it unique because it was birthed during the celebration of the Centenary of the Church of Uganda, owing to the fact that the missionaries from Church Missionary Society arrived in Uganda in 1877 with the good news of Jesus Christ.