Bulambuli land titles cancelled over fraud

White Elephants. The Ministry of Lands says the land was sold illegally by Bugisu elders without regard to the bonafide owners.

The Ministry of Lands has cancelled more land titles of the disputed land on the Bulambuli-Kapchorwa boundary in Bulambuli District.
A February 22 letter signed by the commissioner land registration, Ms Sarah Kulata, says following the illegal sale of land by Bugisu elders without regard to bonafide owners, a complaint was lodged with the President.

The letter adds that Cabinet instituted an investigation committee that found out that the proper procedure of acquiring the land titles was not followed and that the people who won titles are not the rightful owners of the land.

“Now, pursuant to Section 91 of the Land Act, Cap 227, you are hereby given a notice that your titles have been cancelled and you are required to notify me about any objection in 21 days from this date of the notice,” read part of the letter, copied to Energy and Internal affairs ministries and Housing Finance Bank.

The letter was addressed to Mbale municipality, Amore Investments Limited and about 107 other individuals.

This is the second time land titles are being cancelled after a bloody land conflict in the area attracted the attention of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, who set up an investigation team led by Mr Julius Odwee, the then deputy IGP.

The latter had also ordered for cancellation of land titles in September last year after finding that they had been issued irregularly.

This means that the land bought by Mbale Municipal Council in Bweyakala Parish in Bulambuli at a Shs900 million loan secured from Housing Finance Bank is also cancelled, putting the municipal council’s expansion plan in jeopardy.

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