Absence of Land Board costs Jinja City Shs5b
Main Street in Jinja City. Authorities in the city have announced a loss of Shs5b arising from the failure to institute a Land Board for the past three years. PHOTO/TAUSI NAKATO
What you need to know:
The city has not had a Land Board for the last three years
Authorities in Jinja City have announced a loss of Shs5b arising from the failure to institute a Land Board for the past three years.
The Jinja City mayor, Mr Peter Kasolo, said the money was supposed to be collected as revenue from people seeking land titles, adding that the absence of a Land Board has also negatively impacted the development of the city.
According to the Uganda Land Act (1998), some of the key functions of Land Boards include holding and allocating land in the city.
“I can confirm that this city would be on a different level of development if we had instituted a Land Board because some investors would have invested here since they want to put their businesses on land with titles,’’ he said in an interview.
Mr Kasolo said divisions among politicians at Council Hall have resulted in their failure to appoint a substantive Land Board committee to carry out work.
“As mayor, I have played my part by appointing members on the City Land Board, but some politicians with individual interests refused to approve them,’’ he said, adding that he has returned to the drawing board to conjure up a solution “within the next few months”.
Mr Ayub Wabika, the mayor of Jinja North City Division, says the land board vacuum has disrupted service delivery in his area.
“Every year, we have a budget of Shs400m from land fees, but we don’t get it,’’ he said.
He added that because of the absence of a land board, land disputes are increasing, adding that his division currently has about 500 land disputes awaiting hearing by the Land Board Committee.
Subsequently, people have resorted to dubious means of acquiring land, whose titles and investments are being cancelled.
Mr Wabika urged Jinja City authorities to find means of coming up with a substantive Land Board Committee to avoid uncertainties surrounding land titles in the division.
The Jinja City physical planner, Mr Charles Nampendho, said the Land Application Fee is Shs20,000, but the council has been losing such revenue for the past three years.
“There was a time we had 800 applicants; so, we lost close to Shs16m.We also charge one percent of market value of land under registration. For example, on Main Street, if the land is worth Shs1b, the Council is supposed to get Shs10m, but it is losing all this revenue,’’ he said.
Background
In a February 8, 2022 letter addressed to the Jinja City mayor, the deputy Inspector General of Government (IGG), Ms Patricia Achan Okiria, halted the process of approving the proposed members of the Land Board until a proper procedure is followed in constituting it.
This was after members of Jinja City executive led by Mr Kasolo, in February last year, seconded six individuals to the membership of the city’s Land Board, including Mr Alex Luganda as chairman, Ms Barbra Nyamuguru, Ms Zaituni Malole, Mr Philip Bogere, Mr Emmanuel Kamugisha and Mr Innocent Anyole.
The IGG’s decision came after one of the councilors claimed that Mr Kasolo did not follow the right procedure in the process of presenting nominees to the Land Board before the City Executive Committee.
Allegations were swirling that Mr Kasolo singlehandedly came up with a list of nominees for the Jinja City Land Board without the knowledge of the City Executive Committee.
In a December 15, 2022, letter, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Mr Ben Kumumanya, stopped the Council from discussing the matter of appointment of the city Land Board members during their meeting that was scheduled for December 16, 2022, in fulfilment of the ministry’s mandate as provided for in the Local Government Act.
