Africa-Press – Uganda. Lands minister Judith Nabakooba has instituted investigations into an attempted illegal eviction of Nile Coaches, a bus company, using a fraudulent title deed.
In a June 1, 2022, letter to the Commissioner Land Registration, a copy of which this publication has seen, Ms Nabakooba demanded to know “how on earth” the same tittle deed (official proof of land ownership) can be issued to two different entities over the same plot of land.
In her correspondence titled ‘Leasehold Register, Volume 3667 Folio 8, Plot 18 Land at Wilson Road Kampala City and Freehold Register Volume 1536 Folio 1, Plot 18 Land at Wilson Road, Kampala City,’ Ms Nabakooba directed commencement of cancellation of the second (Freehold) title deed currently being illegally used to try to evict Nile Coach from the premises they have occupied legally for years.
“I am in receipt of a complaint from the registered proprietors of the Leasehold Tenure to the effect that they have a running lease of 49 years with effect from August 1, 2006, and are the sitting tenants for more than 20 years, which property houses the offices of Nile Coach Buses.
“It is their contention that they have at all times enjoyed quiet possession of their property for all these years without interruption. They are faced with eminent eviction from their property with plans of demolition by yet another company, claiming to hold Freehold title to the property,” Ms Nabakooba wrote.
Queries
She added: “That the Freehold acquisition above described was a purported conversion of Customary Tenure in Kampala City centre. My office has instituted inquiries into these allegations and the purpose of this letter is to direct you to call the two property files with the above descriptions currently with KCCA Ministry Zonal Office.”
The minister urged the commissioner to “urgently study the files to initiate a process for cancellation of the title fraudulently acquired and give me a report hereafter.”
“You will also avail my PA investigations with certified copies of documents, the property file, to facilitate his inquiries,” she added.
Equally, by copy of the letter, the Secretary Kampala District Land Board is required to provide certified copies of the documents filed with the application for conversion of Customary Tenure to Freehold Tenure to facilitate the investigations into the alleged fraud.
Also, Kampala District Land Board Minute Number 6/7.87/2012 dated April 23, 2012, board sitting proceedings and quorum and returns on the same should be availed for the investigations.
Until last month, the owners of Nile Bus Services offices didn’t have any clue of the impending illegal eviction from the premises they have been occupying for close to two decades.
“We learnt about it just last month or thereabout. And of course we were shocked because we properly and legally own this place. And we can prove that,” Mr Farid Ahmed, one of the directors of Nile Coach Bus Services, told Daily Monitor on Tuesday.
He continued: “We have all the agreement in place right from the beginning. We are on the right side of both the law and everything else.”
When contacted, the chairperson of Kampala District Land Board, Mr David Balondemu, said the matter was handled in 2012 before he took over office.
“The best we can do is to wait for the findings of the investigations that the minister has instituted then act accordingly, basing on the outcomes of the investigations,” he said.
“Under my watch, we will structure all the leases that we issue with proper and specific agreements. And in case you are taking over someone’s property that you have found on ground, then the person must be compensated and not just evicted like that,” he said.
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