Masaka’s disbanded land board declines to hand over office

Masaka- The disbanded Masaka District Land Board has continued to conduct business even when its tenure of office elapsed in May, Daily Monitor has established.

The board, headed by Mr Peter Ssenkungu, was mandated to serve for only two terms, each of five years, but its members declined to hand over office, claiming that the new one has not yet been legally constituted.

Last year, the district executive committee disbanded the board following accusations of illegally and fraudulently allocating public land to developers.

Mr Jude Mbabaali, the district chairperson, said the members were supposed to hand over files to the chief administrative officer but they have continued to engage in dubious land transactions by back dating documents of public land which they later dispose of.

“We have noticed that one of the properties sold in this manner is the land which was recently allocated to the production department for establishment of a pig abattoir project,” Mr Mbabaali said during an interview last week.

Ms Janet Kisekka, the district vice chairperson, said other fraudulent land transactions the board has presided over are in Kimaanya/Kyabakuza Division in Masaka Municipality.

“Those people [members] have made a lot of dubious transactions at the cost of the district.
Even some issues are still before the Justice Catherine Bamugemereire-led commission, but they are continuing to play their dirty games,” Ms Kisekka said.

Mr Martin Lukwago, the chief administrative officer, said since he assumed office two months ago, he has been hearing rumours about land board members back-dating some documents.
“We need a new land board if this issue is to be resolved, I have heard about back-dating transactions going on in the district, but I have not yet confirmed. I am closely following up the matter,” Mr Lukwago said.

However, Mr Ssenkungu refuted the allegations and challenged Mr Mbabaali to provide evidence of back dated land transactions.

“How can I sell the abattoir land which I laboured to acquire for the project to materialise?” Mr Ssenkungu asked.

He said he used his own money during the process of registering the abattoir land title, adding that the current district leadership has made it a habit to attack his team.

“When I assumed office, I found Masaka with only two registered land titles and it has been my effort to ensure that all the land owned by the district is titled. What have they [executive] done ever since they assumed office? ” he said.

Mr Lukwago urged the district executive members and councillors to solve their differences and ensure that a legally constituted land board is established, saying its absence has financial implications.

“I have not spent a long time here, but I am under the law; Masaka does not have a legally instituted district land board. So we cannot get any revenue through it yet it is one of the sources of revenue indicated in the budget,” Mr Lukwago said.

However, he could not tell how much revenue the district generates from land transactions.

Process to get new board
Recently, Mr Mbabaali proposed names of nominees to sit on the new board, but disagreements among some district executive members and councillors delayed their approval.

When the issue of appointing new members on the land board was first tabled before the district council in August, several councillors opposed the move, accusing Mr Mbabaali of illegally appointing members of his choice and ‘smuggling’ the item on that day’s order paper.

In another council meeting, the same item bounced on the day’s agenda when councillors refused to pass the motion endorsing a new land board and ordered the district executive to propose new names.

Mr Mbabaali had proposed former High Court Judge Justice Kibuuka Musoke as the board chairperson.
Other nominees were; Rev Fr Henry Ssebwana, the vice rector Bukalasa Seminary, Dr Owen Sseremba, a lecturer at Makerere University, and Ms Maria Nalubowa, the deputy head teacher of St Jude Primary School, Masaka.

Mr Mbabaali claims his push for the new board is being frustrated by some individuals in the district who have over the years benefited from ‘dirty games’ played by the board members.
“Some councillors have betrayed our promise to the people of Masaka. Whenever the land board issue is brought forward, they keep raising funny issues and at one time they said the proposed land board lacked a member from the Muslim faith although it is not a legal requirement,” Mr Mbabaali said.

He said the executive later identified a trusted Muslim, Sheikh Swaibu Nduuga, the district Khadi, and surprisingly some councillors said “they did not know him”.

However, Mr Ssenkungu accused Mr Mbabaali of using the board as a escape goat and failing to steer the district to progress.

“I think my brother Jude Mbabaali has failed to manage his own members and this reflects incompetence. He has failed to cooperate with his own Democratic Party cadres who form majority of the council. If he cannot convince members of his executive, let him resign rather than tainting other people’s names,” Mr Ssenkungu said.

Mr Bruno Mugumya, a councillor for people living with disabilities, also accuses Mr Mbabaali of lack of cooperation.

Divisions
“We told the chairperson to work with all councillors to come up with a list of nominees following a common consensus but he refused,” Mr Mugumya said.
However, according to local government council rules of procedure, if a motion is tabled three times and councillors decline to pass it without any binding legal reason, the matter is left to the executive.

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