Government cancels minister Kibuule’s land titles

Last month, Mr Kibuule was quizzed by the Justice Catherine Bamugemereire-led Commission of Inquiry into land matters in connection with alleged illegal land acquisition and eviction of more than 140 households from the 85-acre land. FILE PHOTO

What you need to know:

  • Ruling. Government says the land titles were issued in error, thus ending a dispute between the minister and the Buganda Land Board.
  • Last month, Mr Kibuule was quizzed by the Justice Catherine Bamugemereire-led Commission of Inquiry into land matters in connection with alleged illegal land acquisition and eviction of more than 140 households from the 85-acre land.

KAMPALA. Government has cancelled titles for an 85-acre piece of land held by State Minister for Water Ronald Kibuule in Kigaya-Golomolo, Buikwe District.
The Lands ministry senior registrar of titles, Mr Joseph Kibande, yesterday ruled that the titles held by Mr Kibuule and others for the disputed land were issued in error.

“As such, we find that all the sub-divisions which arose from the property in issue were erroneously done and all the certificates of title which arose from the sub-divisions were erroneously issued,” Mr Kibande ruled.

Order
“All the persons in possession of the cancelled certificates of title are hereby directed to present all those titles to the Office of Land Registration,” he added.
The disputed land is also held by other illegal registered land owners, including senior police officer Guston Twinamatsiko, businessman Musa Kateregga, Eldard Mugisha, and Mudasil Mbowa.

The ruling ends a running dispute between Mr Kibuule and Buganda Land Board over ownership of land said to belong to the Namasole (mother of the reigning Kabaka of Buganda).

It is alleged that last year, Mr Kibuule, who is also the Mukono North Member of Parliament, fraudulently acquired possession of the land measuring more than 85 acres on Block 369, Plot 10.
The ruling comes at the heels of a January 31 public hearing that was convened by the Lands ministry after several complaints in which Mr Kibuule is accused of fraudulently acquiring the land and evicting hundreds of occupants.

The minister had been summoned to answer to complaints challenging his ownership of the land.
Buganda Land Board was represented by lawyers led Mr Deo Kalikumutima, while Mr Kibuule was represented by Mr Ambrose Tebyasa.

State Minister for Water Ronald Kibuule

Mr Kalikumutima argued that the title in dispute is part of the properties that were returned by the central government to the Kabaka of Buganda under the Restitution Law.
They also claimed that the land has an entry, “the Namasole of Buganda”, on the certificate of title that Mr Kibuule is holding.

“The sale, sub-divisions and transfers were done without the consent of the current Namasole of Buganda, Ms Margaret Muyanja. Any transaction concerning Buganda land has to be done with the consent of the Kabaka,” Mr Kalikumutima said.

Last month, Mr Kibuule was quizzed by the Justice Catherine Bamugemereire-led Commission of Inquiry into land matters in connection with alleged illegal land acquisition and eviction of more than 140 households from the 85-acre land.

Allegations
State Minister Water Ronald Kibuule while appearing before the land’s commission last month was questioned over his alleged involvement in the deployment of armed security personnel in the area, leading to arrest and detention of several people who were also forced to flee their property and were rendered homeless. It is alleged that in July 2017, he was introduced as a new landlord and employed graders and surveyors leading to destruction of property.