Africa-Press – Uganda. The Ministry of Lands has secured 50 square miles from landlords to permanently settle sitting tenants commonly known as bibanja holders.
According to the lands minister, Ms Judith Nabakooba, the land was bought in various districts within Buganda Sub-region using money from the Land Fund to resolve endless disputes between landlords and tenants.
“Some people have been claiming that the Land Fund is for other regions and has not benefited people in Buganda, this is not true. There is evidence that several landlords have been compensated so that they can leave the sitting tenants to settle peacefully on their ancestral land,” she said during the 35th Heroes Day commemoration at Kasooli-Mpenja playground in Gomba District on Sunday.
The function was presided over by President Museveni.
Ms Nabakooba told the President that in Gomba District, a total of 475 sitting tenants have started receiving free land titles from her ministry after the government compensated their landlords. However, the minister did not reveal how much money is earmarked for compensation of landlords in Buganda Sub-region.
“Our message is clear, once the landlord is paid, let him accept the agreed package and leave the poor tenants to settle permanently,” she added.
A similar programme was also introduced in the neighbouring Mubende District where 320 residents occupying Buwekula Block 247 Plot 24 received land titles from the government in April.
The beneficiaries are part of 958 residents who are occupying 518 hectares originally belonging to Mr Morris Peter Kagimu Kiwanuka and transferred the title to Uganda Land Commission.
It also compensated Mr Martin Kawuki for a neighbouring parcel of land in Kigando comprised in Buwekula Block 247, Plot 21,and similar activities of having this land transferred to the beneficiaries are underway.
Recently, Minister Nabakooba revealed that the government needed close to Shs47.2 trillion to pay off all landlords across the country so that they can leave sitting tenants to settle peacefully.
President Museveni said the issue of the landlords and bibanja holders was resolved in the Constituent Assembly (CA) and also in the Land Act of 1998.
“We said a landlord has no power to evict a kibanja person, especially the one who was on that plot of land (kibanja) by 1983. The only thing was to provide some annual nominal ground rent (busuulu in Buganda) and that was to be fixed by the district land boards. The landlords must accept what we agreed in 1995 because Idi Amin [former President] had actually abolished mailo land tenure system, but we restored ownership in order to allow a win-win situation, but these landlords don’t listen to the NRM [National Resistance Movement] and they think it’s a joke,” he said.
President Museveni was, however, dismayed to learn that some landlords have decided to ignore the agreed upon annual nominal ground rent fees paid by the bibanja holders on their land and are going ahead to evict them.
“It should be remembered that in 1995, a new Constitution was established, and land rights were clarified, which stated that the land in Uganda belonged to its people, and reinstated private land ownership,” he said.
Mr Museveni ordered landlords who are collecting excess annual nominal ground rent fees (obusuulu) to return it to bibanja holders immediately or risk being arrested.
“The landlords who have been charging more than the agreed busuulu fees must return it , and if they try to evict our people, we shall arrest them. You must pay back all the money you have taken from these people and the evictions are illegal,” Mr Museveni said.
According to Mr Geoffrey Kiviiri, the Gomba District chairperson, the approved annual nominal ground rent fees paid to the landlords in the district is Shs10,000 per year, but some landlords have refused such payments leading to the increasing land wrangles in the area.
The President said new policies will be put in place to safeguard this.
“Maybe what we have to resolve in the NRM parliamentary caucus is to provide that if the landlords don’t accept the rent fees, it (rent) should be taken and kept at the sub-county. All this suffering is because of not following what was put in the law,” Mr Museveni directed.
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