Absence of land board hurts Jinja City growth

Jinja main street. PHOTO | FILE

What you need to know:

  • Jinja City Deputy Mayor, Ms Fazira Kawuma, said the absence of a land board has affected the registration and processing of land titles

Jinja City has operated without a land board for two years, making it unable to process land titles and resolve land-related matters.

The Land Act,1998, mandates land boards to, among others, hold and allocate land in the city.

However, Jinja City Deputy Mayor, Ms Fazira Kawuma, said the absence of a land board has affected the registration and processing of land titles.

“The lack of a land board has led to a backlog of requests for land titles and other tasks that are supposed to be performed by the board. If the council has failed to institute a land board, I propose that we borrow one from Buikwe District,” she said in an interview on Monday.

Mr John Musoke, a resident of Jinja City, said the absence of a land board has affected developments in the area, adding that for that reason, people cannot get land titles, access loans, and buy or sell land.

Mr Bernard Mbayo, the Jinja City Speaker, said as the result, fake land titles have been issued and much of the public land is now under contention.

“We need a land board that is sober and one that is going to fast-track titling of public land, including public spaces, school and hospital land,” Mr Mbayo said.

Further, he claimed to have received a letter from the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Mr Ben Kumumanya, stopping them from discussing the issue of land board until further guidance in terms of constitution and its composition.

“I urge residents of Jinja City to be patient so that we institute a land board that will not cause trouble. It will be unfortunate when we constitute one that will cause trouble. We want a (land) board that will solve problems of land in the city, not one that will rob people of their land to enrich themselves financially,” he said.

Background

Jinja City executive members led by the mayor, Mr Peter Kasolo, in February last year seconded six individuals to the membership of the city’s land board. 

However, the Inspector General of Government (IGG) halted their approval after one of the councillors accused Mr Kasolo of not following the right procedure while presenting the nominees. Subsequently, the IGG halted the process of approving the land board members until the proper procedure constituting it is followed.