Hoima tycoons accused of grabbing land from the poor snub district meeting

HOIMA– The tycoons who are alleged to have illegally processed or were in the process of obtaining land titles outside the law did not show up for the meeting organised on Monday by the Hoima district executive committee to defend themselves against the allegations.

The tycoons are alleged to have tried to grab land from the poor in the sub-counties of Buraru and Kyabigambile sub-counties.

The meeting was called by Kirungi Kadiri, the Hoima district LCV chairperson. The district planner, local leaders of the affected sub-counties, victims, and the accused persons were all expected to attend to give their side of the story on the matter.

Last Friday, theCooperator reported the suspension of the land titling process in Kyabigambire and Buraru sub-counties for one month to pave way for investigations into land grabbing allegations against big businessmen in the area.

During the one-month period, a committee was to be set up to investigate land titles processed without following the law so that they recommend the documents for cancellation.

However, Kadiri said they had invited Bright Mark Byenkya and Isingoma Nebukaduneza who both share a land title measuring 39.4400 hectares on 235 block 24 at Ngobye village; Keith Mushabe and Robert Mugisa who were both processing a land title measuring 300 acres in Ruyanja, Bugahya County Hoima district.

Keith Mushabe and Robert Mugisa still were also processing a land title measuring approximately 268 acres of land in Buyanja village, Bugahya; Denis Atwine and Robert Mugisha who were processing a land title measuring 140 hectares in Kakira village Bugahya in Hoima district among others.

Kadiri said that only Keith Mushabe sent a letter to the district executive committee members, stating that he had lost interest in the land he was accused of trying to acquire illegally.

Kadiri noted that they would now work with the district land board to halt the process of titling the land Mushabe was accused of trying to grab.

He added the district authorities will continue with the work to investigate the accused persons and that if found that they have been processing the titles illegally they will be removed from the system of the district land board while for the produced land titles, Kadiri said, they will be recommended for cancelation.

In the same meeting, the district executive committee ordered the district land board to identify loopholes in the land law and advise how the council can come up with a bylaw that streamlines the processes of land title in the district.

During the meeting, it was observed that the land law could have some gaps, which speculators use to grab land from the poor citizens.

For instance, the meeting observed that village chairpersons, sub-county, and parish chairpersons are not required by law to have their input when someone is applying and processing a land title in an area.

Benison Chiche, the Hoima District Vice Chairman, and James Mugenyi Murindambura, the secretary for natural resources argued that leaving out village chairpersons in land transaction processes was a mistake since they know the boundaries of each land in their localities than the members of area land committees.

The councilors explained that some members of sub-county area land committees are sometimes compromised during the land titling especially when one wants to take over a piece of land that does not belong to him.

During the meeting, the district executive committee resolved that the district should formulate a bylaw, which mandates a village chairman to have his or her input before anybody processes a land title in the village.

https://thecooperator.news/hoima-district-suspends-land-titling-as-cases-of-fraud-emerge/

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