3 multibillion projects hang in balance over land disputes

Wakiso. Three planned multibillion government projects in Wakiso District may not take off as planned following reports that the building sites are on disputed pieces of land, Daily Monitor has established.

The three projects include a satellite city that government plans to set up with Malaysian investors at Nakigalala and the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) housing estate project at Lubowa.
The plan to build a specialised $250m (Shs900b hospital at Lubowa has already aborted after the prospective Italian investors pulled out after a reported dispute over the allocated site.

Claimants
Daily Monitor has established that the two pieces of land at Nakigalala and Lubowa are being claimed by the family of the late Prince Yusuf Suuna Kiwewa, who was a son of Kabaka Mwanga II.
The original title for the land at Lubowa is registered as private Mailo land. However, the government land title held for the same piece of land is freehold and located in Kampala.

Ms Mariam Nassiwa Namusisi, one of the descendants of late Prince Kiwewa, told Daily Monitor yesterday that unless government negotiates with her family, the projects will not take off.
Family advocate Peter Muliira also insisted said all government plans are in vain because all sites for the projects are marred by disputes.
“Any investor, who injects money in that land without involving owners, is simply wasting it. We shall fight them in courts of law. Government is deliberately misleading people with arrogance and impunity that they own land at Lubowa. They will not go unchallenged,” Mr Muliira said.
However, government has insisted the projects must go on.

The head of the district physical planning unit, Ms Ruth Nakatudde, told this newspaper on Wednesday that the acquisition of land for the Nakigalala project is being handled by ministry of Lands.
“Much of the work is being handled at the Ministry of Lands and I think a draft plan is being discussed,” she said.

The Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary, Dr Diana Atwiine, also insisted the planned specialised hospital project at Lubowa is on.
“We are looking for new investors and plans are underway to begin construction,” Dr Atwiine said in an interview.
NSSF Managing Director Richard Patrick Byarugaba also insisted that they are going ahead with plans to invest $400m (about Shs1.5 trillion) in the Lubowa estate project that will have facilities such as a golf course, an international school and a central park. Mr Byarugaba said the land dispute will be resolved soon and the project kicks off.

The head of the zonal land office for Wakiso, Mr Johnson Mukaaga, admitted that the two projects are being planned on disputed pieces of land.
“That land has many issues but mechanisms are being developed by relevant offices to streamline land ownership,” he said.

About the dispute

According to Mr Mulira, Prince Kiweewa is one of the four Buganda princes who was given eight square miles of the same piece of land under the 1900 agreement.
In 1911, the land was reduced from eight square miles to six square miles.
Mr Mulira said he has documents showing that in 1958, the registrar of titles used the Kiweewa instrument number to issue a fraudulent freehold title over Mailo land.

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