Ban on Bunyoro land titles provokes high emotions

On realising that the discovery of oil had resulted in scramble for land, the government decided to put a ban on land titles in Bunyoro sub-region.

“I think the moratorium is a hoax,” says Yolamu Nsamba, the Principal Private Secretary to the King of Bunyoro. He adds, “So much land here is in forests and game reserves, so the ban has no impact.”

But the spokesperson for the Lands Ministry, Denis Obbo insists the government’s moratorium is on and is “not to issue land titles until the rightful indigenous people are registered.”

“We are looking for a permanent solution to the Bunyoro land question, so we have suspended issuing of even certificates of customary land, free hold or any other until this is sorted” Obbo told Daily Monitor last week.

“Some seek leaseholds while others seek freehold titles. Ultimately, we want to see how the locals can co-exist alongside the oil developers,” Obbo further explained.

However, this raises some constitutional questions about land ownership in Uganda where the constitution grants a willing buyer and willing seller to settle anywhere in the country.

“The constitution allows any Ugandan to get land anywhere in Uganda, so all this is challenging and we have to seek legal advice from the Solicitor General to see whether what we are doing is legal,” says Obbo.

Basing on the fact that the Constitution in Article 244 (2), says: “Minerals and mineral ores shall be exploited taking into account the interests of the individual land owners, local governments and the Government,” some individuals may lose out if the land in question is not solved earlier than expected.

Ethnic land conflicts
Bunyoro has been a hotbed of land and ethnic conflicts between Bakiga and Banyoro in Kibaale District, the Bagungu and pastoralists in Buliisa District and lately the Alur and the pastoralists in Kigorobya Sub-County in Hoima District. The parties in Kigorobya are feuding over land demarcations.

“Police has held various meetings with these communities under the community policing programme but they have failed to come to a consensus,”the Midwestern police spokesperson, Zurah Ganyana, says.

The land under dispute is adjacent to Taitai oil well. Anatoli Kyamanywa, LC I chairman of Runga village, the epicentre of clashes in Kigorobya, says: “There has been increased rush for land by people from all walks of life in areas adjacent to oil sites as perspective landlords anticipate to get royalties when oil is discovered on their land.”

Call for free land titles
There is a call from some sections of people in Bunyoro for government to survey and title all land in Bunyoro and offer free land titles to the Banyoro to curb rampant land wrangles that has escalated since the of oil discovery in 2006.

Shem Byakagaba, the chairman, Kitara Heritage Development Agency, says the directive on titles is being done at the detriment of the locals.

“Processing a land title in Uganda costs about Shs1.5m, so this halt is not enough, government must move faster and protect the people who can’t afford titles and should avail titles to them,” reasons Byakagaba.

Utility: “Our people when they go to Entebbe (National Lands office) with applications, they are told there is a ban on Bunyoro,” George Bagonza, Hoima District chairman.

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