Investor, government officials fight over Mukono land
Appeal. Mr Wright shows some of the documents showing ownership of the land. Photo by Ephraim Kasozi
What you need to know:
- In a separate May 2013 investigation report, Lt Col Jacob Asiimwe from the Office of the President wrote that 55 people had encroached on the land outside their bibanja while others who were compensated either came back or hired out their former bibanja interest.
Kampala. An investor has appealed to government to resolve a 13-year-old dispute over ownership of a 1,423-acre piece of land in Buziranjovu Village, Nakisunga Sub-county in Mukono District.
Mr Jonathan Wright, a Ugandan of Canadian origin, accuses Mukono District officials of backing a group of residents to encroach on his land and claim bibanja interest after compensation.
The businessman, who deals in tourism and nature conservation, states that he purchased the disputed land in 2005 and compensated 234 people, who held bibanja interests from 2006 to 2009. However, he says the same people turned around and claimed more compensation.
“At the time of purchase, the land was free because it had been leased to another company, Tropical Plantation, which we paid. We got the lease and paid all the people who were working for the previous company as well as those who were cultivating on the land. It was a process, which was successfully done following negotiations,” says Mr Wright.
He adds that he purchased the land from Wilfred Mugwanya Kabuusu, who held a title issued in the 1930s.
Mr Wright accuses the former Mukono District security officer, Maj Moses Ssegujja, of mobilising people to demonstrate, which has frustrated his investment plan.
“As a result of the disturbances, we have suffered from malicious damage to property, criminal trespass, assault and more than 90 cases have since been reported against some individuals but no justice,” said the proprietor of Buziranjovu Development Company Limited, which paid millions of Shillings in compensation to several claimants.
He said: “We had a big plan to develop a satellite city worth more than $1 billion. We had acquired financiers but we have been frustrated.”
Maj Ssegujja denies the accusations, saying his intervention in the matter was to maintain law and order.
“The claimants are bibanja holders who need to be respected and my involvement was to help address the complaints to facilitate peace in the area,” he says. A January 2008 report from the State House directorate of land matters indicates that the company negotiated and compensated bibanja holders who left except only seven families, which still needed facilitation to vacate.
Past investigations
In a separate May 2013 investigation report, Lt Col Jacob Asiimwe from the Office of the President wrote that 55 people had encroached on the land outside their bibanja while others who were compensated either came back or hired out their former bibanja interest. “You are, therefore, requested to ask encroachers to stop their malpractices henceforth and failure to stop will mean that the landlord applies to secure a court order to that effect,” read Lt Col Asiimwe’s letter to the Mukono Resident District Commissioner (RDC).
RDC Fred Bamwine says the dispute is one of the oldest that his predecessors handled. “I found claims of bibanja holders, saying the investor paid wrong people and they want to be paid. Other people do not want to vacate their areas while others are complaining of threats and harassment,” Mr Bamwine says. He adds that district officials cannot intervene at the moment since the matter is in court.
Mr Wright said there is a need for an investigation to verify the authenticity of the claims by the individual persons.
