Kasokoso where land ownership is uncertain

Stone quarrying is the main activity carried out in the area though a wide number of people work outside Kasokoso. PHOTOS BY COLLEB MUGUME

What you need to know:

  • None of the residents in Kasokoso has a land title or agreement of occupancy.
  • The residents only hold an opinion that they are bonafide occupants.
  • The name Kasokoso was phrased from the Kiganda word Nsokolo meaning remote and impassable

Kasokoso is surrounded by Mutungo Bbiina, Kireka, and Kirinnya. It gained popularity in 2011 when residents resisted forceful eviction from this land.
Residents of Kasokoso are not certain of who owns the land they occupy. They are bibanja holders who bought land from the former occupants who themselves had no titles for the land.

Origin
According to Ivan Kibirige, a resident for the last 10 years, Kasokoso was initially occupied by former Ugandan president Idi Amin’s soldiers though shortly after the end of Amin’s regime it was taken over by sugarcane growers and brick layers who later started selling land to other people.
“The name Kasokoso was phrased from the Kiganda word Nsokolo, meaning remote and impassable. Many people feared this area because it was associated with a number of crimes including killings and rape of women,” says Kibirige. “You would not move anywhere after 5pm.”

Ali Mwandah, the chairman of the area, says Kasokoso gained stability in 2005 and people started settling in the area without fear of being attacked.
According to Kibirige, Kasokoso sits on an estimated 140 acres of land and has one parish. “Kasokoso is a place with a population of about 80,000 people. Residents of this area are from different origins as some were evicted from Naguru and Nsambya and ended up in Kasokoso.

Security
The security of Kasokoso is unstable especially during the early morning and late evening hours. The area has quite a number of black spots that scare those that work out of Kasokoso.

Kasokoso is slowly growing into a busy business centre.

Infrastructure
Kibirige says in the last 10 years, Kasokoso has had no major tarmac road, which makes most places impassable, especially when it rains heavily.
The area has no government hospital but residents use the nearby private clinics. The place also has no government primary or secondary school and students commute from Kasokoso to Kireka Primary and Kirinnya for secondary, respectively.

Rent and accommodation
Before, securing land in Kasokoso was easy as it was less expensive and one would acquire a 30 by 30 feet plot at Shs100, 000. However, this has changed due to development in the area.
Rent here depends on the choice of the tenants and whether they choose to stay in lower or upper Kasokoso.
The cost of renting a single room ranges between Shs50,000 and Shs80,000 while a double room goes for between Shs130,000 and Shs200,000. Rent for a self-contained one bedroom house is between Shs250,000 and Shs400,000.

A 100 by 50 feet piece of land with a land title costs Shs105m while a 100 by 100 feet plot goes for Shs250-300m. A 100 by 50 feet plot of land without a title costs Shs60m and a 100 by 100 plot goes for Shs20m.
“However, acquiring such a big plot of land is difficult as many sell in smaller units of 50 by 30 feet,” Mwandah explains.

Issues of concern
There are a number of concerns ranging from security to service provision. Mwandah says the lack of schools and poor road network is a great hindrance to the development of the area. However, all this is attributed to neglect of the area by the division office.
The poor drainage system is also a major setback as it has claimed lives during heavy rains.

Activities
Stone quarrying is the main economic activity carried out in the area though a wide number of people work outside Kasokoso.
“Due to the poor road network characterised by dust and potholes, many residents opt to work in other places, Mwandah says.