Our leaders should drop their adventurism in land matters
By Peter Mulira
Last year, I attended a workshop on land reform and redistribution which was held in a city hotel under the auspices of a certain embassy.
The programme of the workshop included receiving a report on the “Mubende” project, an introduction to the proposed new Land Acquisition Act, and a speech by a guest speaker who excoriated mailo land.
The Mubende project, which I knew about before, is illegal because it was not authorised by the Commissioner for Survey and Mapping and the title deeds distributed in the exercise do not bear his signature as required by law.
After listening to some disturbing speeches which were applauded at every turn by carefully selected attendees, I came to the conclusion that my presence was not desirable and I left since I was feeling unwell at the same time.
My disappointment as a son of one of the pioneers of the movement for independence, is to see the country veering away from the noble principle of the pioneers.
These pioneers looked forwards, not backwards, and could never take somebody’s land illegally. We inherited these noble principles we adhere to their hatred of injustice of any kind.
It is against the said background that we appeal to present leaders to drop their adventurism in land matters. The land issues which arose out of the 1900 land titling were settled through judicial processes and the passing of the Busuulu and Envujjo Law in1927.
The thefts, lies, destruction of official records in the Land Office and the impunity with which land is being stolen are bound to destroy commitment among our people and drive our economy into the ground.
As an example of theft and destruction of records Block 189 Plots 16 and17. Lwanyonyi, Mukono, were registered in the names of Ham Mukasa on January 30, 1914. This land was adjacent to Plot 191, Kasenge, and also next to 1260 acres which were registered as official estate.
Today, the land appears in the computer system as Plot 57 registered in the names of a land grabber with only 49 acres registered in favour of Ham Mukasa. The land grabber is just the face of bigger fish who are the real culprits, including two senior judges, who direct the course of any court action
In 1901, Ham Mukasa accompanied the Katikiro Sir Apollo Kaggwa as his secretary on a visit to the UK to attend the coronation of King George VI. The two leaders were exposed to English society and culture, especially in the area of education and land.
On their return after an extended stay, the two leaders pioneered the starting of King’s College Budo and Gayaza High School.
In 1904, Ham Mukasa wrote a book, Buganda’s Katikiro in England, which was published by Hutchinson & Co, Patermaster Row, London, in which the introduction was written by the Governor Sir Harry Johnson who wrote on Page XVI:
‘Mukasa now helps the Buganda Admiral (Gabunga) in his special work dealing with natives, canoes, daus, etc. As his own personal property, he owns the island of Lujabwa, which was given to him by King Mwanga. He was one of the first among the Baganda to learn English, which language he writes and speaks fairly well.”
Ham Mukasa was the first Ugandan to value land as an investment. As county chief, Kyaggwe, he encouraged his fellow Africans to lease land to non-Africans for commercial agriculture. By 1972, Kyaggwe County had more than 40 large-scale agricutural estates and the county accounted for 45 per cent of the country’s revenue.
As records at the land office prove, Ham Mukasa bought all the land he owned.
Mr Mulira is a lawyer.
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