Nabakooba Sounds Warning On Brokers For Violating The Land Act

 The Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development (MLHUD) Judith Nabakooba has warned land brokers against violating land rights as directed in the Land Act.

Ms Nabakooba issued the warning during a weekend meeting with locals at Lukuga village in Butalangu Sub County, Nakaseke District.

This revelation comes after a land dealer, Emmanuel Lugemwa, the proprietor of Balugemwa Property Services, forcefully asked 400 tenants on 900 acres to claim full ownership of their plots of land (Bibanja).

“I have halted all the activities on this land to allow the Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Rose Byabasaija, to delve into this matter and produce a detailed report,” Ms Nabakooba directed.

 Lugemwa was reportedly hired by a family after the death of the estate owner, Ntaate Kwataabaliawo, in 2022 to ask tenants on their land to buy themselves.

The family members wanted all the tenants on this land to pay money equivalent to their land size to get titles that locals have since protested. “We do not have money to pay the landlords but we can pay nominal ground rent (Busuulu) which Lugemwa has contested insisting that he wants us to buy the land,” the locals said. Ms Nabakooba, however, said this is not proper and violates the Land Act which mandates tenant’s right to pay annual busuulu to landlords according to the value of the land.

Local leaders led by Philip Lukuga, the village chairperson, told the minister that the land dealer has been collecting Shs50,000 registration fees from each household interested in buying land. “Why don’t you accept Busuulu as the law indicates? You even take extra money extorted from people which is illegal.

Payback people’s money,” the minister said, asking locals to stop giving Lugemwa any money. When Ntaate was still alive, he reportedly introduced his son David Ntaate to the tenants as the custodian of his land and he had been on good terms with the locals before the children of the deceased brought in the land dealer.

 “After the landlord’s demise, his children brought Lugemwa to help them sell off this land to get their share, forgetting this land has occupants,” Mr Sam Serunjogi, LC III chairperson of Butalangu said. Questioned about refusing Busuulu from tenants, Lugemwa boldly told the minister that his mission was to sell the land and asked the government to secure funds and buy the affected communities' land.

 “The occupants do not have money to buy this land. Ever since I was given this responsibility of selling the land to occupants, only 90 people have expressed interest,” Lugemwa said. He noted that even among those 90 people willing to buy the land, no one has complied with the agreed-upon time of payment.

 The rest who insisted they could not afford the money are now living in fear that their land will be grabbed and sold to other people, yet they have stayed there for decades and are protected under the law on bonafide occupants. The dealer has dismissed claims leveled against him that he wants to evict people.

The custodian of the land (David Ntaate) told the minister that the conflicts on this land erupted during the burial of their father in 2022 when the will gave a section of children this land which has tenants. He explained that the beneficiaries insisted that they have to sell their share and benefit from their land and receiving Busuulu has been a taboo to them.

Ms Sarah Najjuma, Nakaseke Woman MP, asked local people to always engage their leaders in such cases and also refrain from hypocrisy, encouraging them to work jointly to avoid similar mistakes in the future.

Ms Nabakooba closed the meeting, directing Lugemwa to give her all the documents on the land and asked the affected locals to write a letter addressing landlords asking them to accept ground rent and where to put them. She told them to make three copies of those letters and give her a copy and their leaders.