By: Ismael Kasooha
KIKUUBE
The Prime Minister of Uganda Rt. Hon. Nabbanja Robinah has instructed the Ministry of lands to immediately cancel land titles that were allegedly fraudulently acquired.
“How can a Person acquire a land title onto which there are sitting tenants without the consent of the district land board. May be there is connivance to defraud the public of their land by officials of the district land boards and the rich. These titles must be cancelled,” instructed Nabbanja.
The Premier addressing thousands of Kikuube District residents during the belated Women’s Day celebrations for Kikuube District
This was during the belated Women’s Day commemoration for Kikuube at Rwemisanga Grounds in Kyangwali sub county Kikuube District.
This event provided a platform for local leaders to express their fears over the increasing reports of fraudulent land titles threatening their land security and economic development.
Emmanuel Bisemeza the Kyangwali sub-county Chairman asked the central government to intervene by investigating and canceling all fraudulently acquired land titles in the district kept the debate rolling.
The Premier was prompted to instruct the land officials present to explain the genuine land title acquisition process and costs involved.
She also ordered investigation of all land titles suspected to have been acquired fraudulently for cancellation.
Delivering her speech as the guest of honour, Prime Minister Nabbanja re-echoed President Yoweri Museveni’s advice urging the people of Kikuube to avoid land fragmentation as government works to address issues of land grabbing and unnecessary selling off of land.
Dr. Chris Baryomunsi, the Minister for ICT & National Guidance and the NRM Vice chairperson Western region taking on a Gospel Artist Mbabazi during the belated Women’s Day celebrations in Kikuube District
She advised families to think of acquiring land titles on their own and also use their land for production as the government plays its part.
“President Museveni has for long been condemning land fragmentation because it has been causing fights among family members and increasing the risk of land grabbing,” she said.
Dr. Chris Baryomunsi, the Minister of ICT and National Guidance who doubles as the NRM Vice chairperson Western region assured the people of Kikuube of government’s commitment to address all issues affecting them.
“The NRM government wants all people to prosper and therefore we shall address all issues affecting service delivery to spur socio-economic development,” said Baryomunsi.
Bisemeza had earlier listed more than 10 villages being claimed by persons he believes acquired land titles dishonestly. He said that thousands of his residents are living in fear of eviction any time. The affected areas include Nyamirima – Kololo area where land covering four villages was titled under unclear circumstances.
Similarly, Kasonga area also in Butoole parish, Kyangwali sub-county has five villages where residents are at risk of forceful eviction because of a certain rich man who claims to own a title for that land.
Kyangwali SS students participate in the parade during the belated Women’s Day celebrations for Kikuube District
Also Kibaale – Kololo area almost six villages are affected while Kamugamba in Wairagaza has six villages where residents also live in fear of eviction.
Other residents grappling with suspicious land titles which the chairman mentioned include Nyansenge, Nyankonge and Kinyamahwa in Kyangwali parish, Kyangwali sub-county in Kikuube District.
The Kikuube District Woman Member of Parliament, Florence Natumanya, said that lack of land security assurance has crippled community members’ efforts to develop since they live in fear. She, however, expressed optimism in the government plan to offer 25,000 free land titles to the people of Kikuube. According to her, this plan will partly solve the problem of land grabbing in the district.
Amlan Tumusiime, the Kikuube Resident District Commissioner (RDC), acknowledged the problem of illegal land titles saying it is a serious issue in the district; demanding an intervention of a strong arm of the central government.
Kikuube district has witnessed major evictions in the past 10 years whereby more than 100,000 people have been left homeless.
These include more than 50,000 evictees from the land neighbouring Kyangwali Refugee Settlement that went into dispute between the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) and communities identified as encroachers on refugee land.
The evictees have since pitched camp near Kikuube District headquarters after re-eviction at the RDC’s office where they stayed for almost a year.
Another group of evictees have lived at Kigyayo informal Internally Displaced People’s (IDP’s) camp for more than six years.
Those are just a few of the major disputes in Kikuube which is part of Bunyoro in western Uganda where land disputes escalated following the discovery of the nascent oil resource in the Albertine region.
The government has put in place measures including the presidential moratorium that suspended land title issuance way back before 2015 to deal with the challenges.
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