Africa-Press – Uganda. A retired doctor has accused the state minister for lands, Mr Sam Mayanja, and Busiro East Member of Parliament, Mr Medard Sseggona, of chaperoning a mob to destroy his farm and property in Wakiso District.
In separate interviews, the duo, however, dismissed Dr Apollo Kaggwa’s claims as unfounded and said they followed legal procedure and the doctor plunged himself into trouble by evicting Bibanja holders without regard to their constitutional rights.
In an account to this newspaper, Dr Kaggwa, a retired consultant physician, said minister Mayanja on July 4 led a group of over 500 residents, members of Wakiso District security committee including its chair Ms Justine Mbabazi, the resident district commissioner (RDC), to destroy his livestock, fish and banana plantations on his model farm
“He [Mr Mayanja] accelerated the giveaway of my land without my knowledge last week. In fact he rallied goons who destroyed my property as I am talking now, I am homeless,” Dr Kagga said.
These accusations followed the recent locus visit which the minister made to the his land which measures 250 acres located on Block 248, Plots 9, 49, 73, 75, 76 and 77 in three villages of Kakunyu, Mabombwe, Nsenkwa and Musisi in Wakiso District.
On June 16, the minister wrote to RDC Mbabazi to arrange a visit for him to, among others, reinstate 11 bona fide occupants who had been cleared by the State House Anti-corruption unit (SHACU).
“As recommended [in] the SHACU report, reinstatement of those recommended need to be done systematically, giving due regard to previous location and size of the land claimed and to involve key stakeholders, including the local authorities,” the letter read in part.
In a rejoinder on Friday, minister Mayanja said there was no dispute that the retired consultant physician owned the land, but that he paid wrong individuals as Bibanja holders, leaving the rightful claimants to renew their demands for compensation.
“These people (claimants) were 14 and the SHACU cleared eleven. Why would the doctor … a high calibre [professional] tell such a big lie to the country [that these are fraudsters]?” he said, adding that State House investigators ascertained the credentials of the claimaints.
Minister Mayanja added: “He (Dr Kaggwa) should be realistic…How would he feel if [his relatives] were evicted from their land and left on the streets? To all of you landlords, as you want to enjoy your rights of a landlord, know that these Bibanja [holders] also have their rights stipulated in the Constitution.”
Dr Kaggwa showed us video clips which he said captured young men filmed destroying his plantations and animal and felling mature trees and ferrying away the logs and bunches of bananas on trucks and motorcycles.
“I don’t wish any Ugandan to go through what I went through. It was horrific. My farm was a model type. I had cattle, goats, sheep, poultry, plantations and fish, but as I am speaking, I don’t have anything left …,” he said.
His family tried to lodge a criminal case against the minister at Wakiso District Police Station, but detectives there reportedly declined to register the complaint against their “superior” — a minister. We could not independently verify this account.
MP Sseggona, whom Dr Kaggwa adversely named alongside minister Mayanja, said the government ordered the near-a-dozen Bibanja holders to be reinstated on the land where Do Kaggwa had evicted them, and the ceremony “which I personally attended” went smoothly.
“We left there when everything was peaceful while the beneficiaries were going to resettle back on their land. We later learnt that a group of people later that day stormed Dr Kaggwa’s farm and slashed everything on that land,” Mr Sseggona said.
He added: “But I partly blame Dr Kaggwa for this; he would have reconciled with these people earlier before we reached this level. He would for example after learning on their return sit down with them and negotiate on the manner in which they would return in peace. Remember some of these people have spent years outside their land so all that anger…”
But the doctor in his account points to a malicious damage to his property by a mob he believes was politically mobilised and incited. He said he acquired the land between 1990 and 2000 and that the people that minister Mayanja paraded as bona fide occupants were “simply fraudsters”.
“I am the rightful owner of that land and the proof of my ownership can be verified by the Office of the Commissioner Land Registration at the Ministry of Lands. At the time of purchase, the property had 20 squatters (Bibanja holders) all of whom were compensated and they peacefully left as agreed and proof of the relevant agreements are available for verification,” he said.
He added: “I have never evicted anybody on my land and had no plans of doing so. So, the minister acted in an unfair manner after being approached by land grabbers.”
The retired doctor disclosed he initially planned to develop the land, but moved to engage squatters after discovering that some unknown people had begun selling part of the land.
“We held four community meetings with the then village leadership, where we engaged over 200 people from this community. We resolved that I open up an office where every bona fide occupant would come and make a custom arrangement with me. I opened the office as agreed, sent out announcements using local point-to-point vans and community radios, but only less than 15 people turned up,” he said.
Upon realising that they got the land from fake dealers, Dr Kaggwa said the buyers started pressing the fake sellers to return their money.
“The brokers teamed up with unemployed youth and established a criminal force named ‘Tutekewo Embera’ through which they have been orchestrating all forms of violence against [me],” he said, hoping to kick him off his own land.
The aggrieved doctor met Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja on July 10 to register his disapproval against minister Mayanja and also made distress calls to both lands minister, Ms Judith Nabakooba, and her Presidency counterpart, Ms Milly Babalanda.
The outcomes of these engagements are pending.
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