Africa-Press – Uganda. Farmers under Kitondo Farmers Cooperative Society in Ntungamo District have welcomed the resolution of a long-running land dispute after the State Minister for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Dr Sam Mayanja, directed that the land title be transferred from the district to the cooperative society.
The decision follows investigations which found that the land, used communally by residents since the 1940s, was wrongly titled in the name of the district due to what authorities described as an error and misinterpretation of the law.
The contested land has historically been used for communal grazing by residents and members of the cooperative society.
Tensions over ownership first emerged in 1997 and escalated sharply in 2017, when farmers petitioned authorities, complaining of violent threats of eviction by individuals allegedly dressed like security personnel.
Alex Habasa, the Local Council One chairperson of Kitondo village, said residents were overwhelmed with relief after the announcement.
“We are extremely happy as you see many crying, it’s joy. The district authorities had told us that whoever they find grazing here, the cattle will be taken and the herdsman arrested never to be traced,” Habasa said.
Despite engaging several authorities, including the police, residents said the dispute remained unresolved for years.
Rebecca Atwine, the Special Presidential Assistant on Anti-Corruption, described the matter as an abuse of power, urging the public to report corruption and neglect of duty.
“Corruption has featured in many land wrangles. Most of the land wrangles are propagated by corruption. Abuse of office under the Anti-Corruption Act Section Two is corruption. Neglect of duty,” Atwine said.
“Some of the complaints the people of Kitondo raised is that when they went to police to report, the police rejected to take down their complaints. That’s corruption and abuse of office.”
The disputed land is also known as the site where President Yoweri Museveni’s aircraft lands whenever he visits Ntungamo District.
Following public outcry, the President directed that investigations be conducted, an intervention that residents say has now restored fairness and justice.
“After our investigations we came to deliver the findings that the land indeed belongs to the community which is Kitondo Cooperative Society and the district leadership consented. It was a consent judgement. The district consented that they had got the title in error,” Atwine said.
The complaint centred on the illegal issuance of a land title for Kitondo Kajara, Block Eight, Plot Two Hundred Fifty-Five, measuring approximately 9.5540 hectares. District officials said their actions were intended to protect government property.
Gerald Nuwagaba, from the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, thanked the mediators for resolving the matter peacefully.
“Thank you for handling this issue carefully with no bloodshed. Everyone showed interest in this land. It wasn’t for personal or ill intentions but to protect it for the interest of the general population,” Nuwagaba said.
Dr Mayanja said the dispute arose from a legal error that has now been corrected.
“Since 1941, they have been struggling to have this land in the names of the cooperative society. We spent enough time in the office of the Resident District Commissioner and her executive and they understood that they made an error. The error emanated from misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the law,” Mayanja said.
“When land is already occupied by people, that land is not available for the board to give to any other person to get the title. When that takes place and out of error or any other reason, that transaction is void. We have corrected the error and that title is going to be just adjusted and be put in the society’s name,” he added.
Following the announcement, jubilant residents broke into song and dance, chanting campaign tunes associated with President Museveni and pledging full support in the 2026 general elections.
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