Bunyoro land grabbers accused of targeting Land Fund

KIKUUBE– Locals in the oil-rich Bunyoro Sub-region are concerned that land grabbers are targeting to illegally benefit from the Land Fund established by government to pay absentee landlords whose land is occupied by the landless.

Initially the Land Fund was meant to pay absentee landlords in Kibaale district whose land had been occupied by the locals. However, the Fund would later cover the entire country as the land conflicts between the peasants and the rich escalated.

Now locals and leaders in Bunyoro Sub-region say land speculators continue to title community land illegally, expecting to get paid from the Land Fund after presenting a title deed. A title deed document confirms or proves that one is the owner of a property after having been transferred into one’s name.

The issue was raised during a two-day sensitisation meeting organised by the Ministry of Lands in partnership with Masindi Lands Zonal Offices to orient the people of Bunyoro about land laws.

During the meeting, Kikuube district chairperson Peter Banura explained that different districts of Bunyoro are overwhelmed by the increasing cases of illegal land titles.

“Rich people are acquiring land titles on community land expecting to get compensated from the Land Fund. After they have acquired the land titles, they start threatening to evict the locals who then ask government to intervene.  It is from this point that they [rich people] start seeking negotiations with government to compensate them in order to surrender the land titles,” he said.

Banura blamed the Masindi district lands officials for facilitating illegal land titling, saying there are many cases where different people possess title deed documents for the same piece of land.

Kikuube district Woman MP, Florence Natumanya said that there is a need to review the land titling process. She noted that the land grabbers connive with area land committees to abuse the land registration process.

However, the Kikuube district resident commissioner Amlan Tumusiime said that there is a need to investigate village chairpersons, area land committees and district land boards in the region whom he also blamed for aiding land grabbers after receiving bribes from them.

“We have information, they [land grabbers first invite village chairpersons to hotels where they buy them food. After eating the land grabbers give the village chairpersons money so that they sign documents showing that the land they [land grabber] are interested in has no encumbrances. The land grabbers do the same to the area land committees. After here, the land grabbers invite the members of the district boards, buy them food and then give them money to sign the fake documents which get submitted to Lands Zonal Offices for land title processing,” he said.

The Hoima district resident Commissioner Emmy Turyabagyenyi also emphasised that area land committees are the root cause of illegal land titling in his district. He explained that committee members get tempted to receive bribes to sign documents even without visiting the land since they work as volunteers.

On the issue of Land Fund, State Minister for Lands, Sam Mayanja said the Ministry will ensure that the Fund benefits the rightful people and not those who processed the land titles illegally.

He also directed that all land titles that were acquired in the Bunyoro region illegally be cancelled with immediate effect.

He also ordered that all land titles in wetlands, rivers, and forests also be cancelled, saying the laws do not allow titling ecological areas.

“The law is very clear, Section 91 of the Land Act gives power to the commissioner of land registration to cancel land titles…I have directed him to use those powers to cancel illegal land titles” he said.

The mayor of Kiziranfumbi town council, Ibrahim Juma urged the Ministry of Lands to sensitize Bunyoro-Kitara kingdom officials on matters of land, saying they are also a source of land conflicts. “We know that the Kingdom owns land but all the land is not owned by the kingdom. We need to help the poor people on these issues,” he said.

Victoria Namugambe, the head of Masindi Lands Zonal Offices defended her office, saying they are at the receiving end as they process land titles based on information received from the area and committees.

Julius Asaba, a resident of Rusuna village in Kabwoya Sub-county demanded that the area land committee should be elected instead of being appointed by the district chairpersons. He said the committees serve the interests of those who appointed them.

Recently, the Lands Minister, Judith Nabakooba, while investigating a land matter in Mityana district, warned landlords against duping government so that they can benefit from the Land Fund.

https://thecooperator.news/minister-mayanja-directs-hoima-sugar-limited-to-compensate-evictees/

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