Ray of Hope for Bibanja Holders as Government Intervenes in Lwengo Land Disputes.

Bibanja holders in Lwengo District will finally have peace after the government intervened in their land issues on May 22. This comes at the backdrop of Judith Nabakooba, the Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development paying a courtesy visit to four villages in the district where she met angry residents and several victims of land disputes in the area.

The minister visited Kahule and Bitookebisalire, Kalagala Parish in Malongo Sub County, Kyassenya in Kito Parish, Lwengo Sub County and Bwami Village in Kabalungi Parish, Lwengo Town Council, Lwengo District to iron out issues on contested bibanja.
Nabakooba told the locals to remain calm and not worry about the issue as the government is aware of their issue and is working tirelessly to ensure their issue is resolved.
"When I reached here, I saw that the issue is not very hard, you are all aware that the constitution talks about bona fide occupants. You should not get worried about anything. Some of the landlords want to use coercive measures to evict people which is against the law,” she said.
Nabakooba explained that as per the law, the landlord is required to use diplomatic means such as negotiations and dialogue rather than evicting people from their bibanja to render them homeless.
“If you buy a piece of land and you find out that there are people occupying it, chasing them is not the right approach, they (Bibanja holders) have their rights too. The other lawful approach would be, to buy the Bibanja holders and they find some other areas to purchase land from, they can choose to buy themselves and process a land title later or leave them to pay you the landlord nominal ground rent."
Ms Nabakooba pledged to write to the District Police Commander (DPC) and the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) of Lwengo District to inspect the Area Land Committee, District Land Board and Land Officers of Lwengo to explain why they gave out land titles occupied by people and in case they are proven guilty, they will be punished.
The land title details with wrangles include, Buddu block 555 plot 16, 13 & 14 at Kyassenya village which measures 431.131 hectares and is registered in the names of Raphaelina Nakyajja, as the administrator of the estate of Teddy Namukasa.
Buddu block 470 plot 10 land at Malongo, measuring 62.1170 hectares registered in the names of Viola Nakiyimba, Rehema Namirembe, Nicolette Kayaga, and Samuel Kibigiya Bogere as joint tenants.
Buddu block 390 plot 40 land at Bwami, measuring 26. 93 hectares and registered in the names of Musa Bike ya, Sarah Nansamba, Masitula Nakachwa and Mukasa Semugenze as administrators of the estate of the late Hajat Hadija Nakabiri.
Mr Ibrahim Kitatta, Lwengo district Chairperson, told the victims that as the district, they are going to work hand in hand with the Lands Ministry to put the petition into writing to the Minister.
"No one should intimidate you, the government is entitled to protect its people and their properties and that is what we are asking now. All the land fraudsters are going to be hunted down" he pledged.
He requested the Minister to get his residents land titles and they remain in their respective areas.
"If there is money, I ask the government to reach a compromise with the said owners of the land and you buy it under Uganda Land Fund as the case has been in other parts of the country such that our people get land titles in their names," he said.
Mr Simeo Ssenkyama, Malongo sub county Chairperson said people who claimed to have bought the land are not known in the area. He explained that they have never seen any of them and it came as a surprise when they found out from the Regional Lands Office, that their title was registered in 2022 for Kahule Village.
Ms Milia Kasigazi, Kahule LC I Chairperson lamented that despite the years they have spent on the land, unknown people want to evict them.
"We went to various offices in the district and they promised to support us. My residents are very much appreciative for the Minister to reach our area," she said.
Sharing about his area, Mr John Kaboogere, Bitookebisalire Village Chairperson said one of his residents restricted people from using water from a manmade Lake at Bulimbaale village, just in the neighborhood of his village yet it is in a wetland reservation.
This, the minister said, is uncalled for since water is a natural resource that ought to be enjoyed by anyone. She directed this to stop with immediate effect.
The meeting was also attended by Kyassenya Village Chairperson Mr Vincent Kasule, Mr Frank Muwulya, Vice Chairperson of Bwami Village, among other local leaders.