Don’t evict bibanja holders in Kassanda, Mityana – Govt

President Museveni has stopped the planned eviction of hundreds of bibanja holders in the districts of Kassanda and Mityana. 

Lands Minister Judith Nabakooba delivered the presidential directive in community meetings in the two districts at the weekend. 

In Kassanda District, residents of at least six villages were being threatened with eviction after land grabbers took over at least 1,214 hectares of land on Block 493 Plot 3 .

The residents said the land grabbers connived with district officials to take it away from them.

The 44-year lease was being held by Drake Ndiwalana and Athanasius Babera Kaihura, who acquired it on October 24, 1978 with a condition that they would use the land for farming and ranching. However, the lease elapsed on September 31, 2021. 

The residents said when land business schemers learnt of the expiry of the lease, they, with the help of officials from the Mubende and Mityana district land boards, created freehold land titles. 

The Bukuya County Member of Parliament, Dr Micheal Bukenya, said efforts to get the names of the individuals, in whose names the land freehold land titles were created, were futile. 

“People at the district have remained tight lipped on who has taken over the land. I reached out to the Lands minister to stop the would-be eviction of my constituents,” Mr Ndiwalana said. 

However, Ms Nabakooba said the land belongs to the Uganda Land Commission (ULC) and since it is being occupied by different residents, it cannot be given away. 

“As I was coming here, I reached out to the President and he told me since this land is owned by a government agency, ULC, no one should be evicted. The President has given you this land, no one should threaten you,” Ms Nabakooba said. 

She added that ULC officials were due to arrive in Kassanda to open boundaries and implement the presidential directive. 

“We shall liaise with the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) after I have written [to] ULC informing them of the presidential directive on this land. I urge you to work closely with the RDC and your MP. Remain calm, we shall continue working with your leaders to ensure that your issue is expedited to the very end,” she said. 

In Mityana District, Ms Nabakooba together with Mityana RDC Nixon Kabuye and the area District Police Commander visited three villages of Kitebere, Nkwaale, and Saala A Kabule ward.  

The residents in these areas petitioned the President and the minister over eviction threats. 

They accused the administrator of the land, George William Memere, who is the heir of the original owner Yozefu Musoke, of conniving with Isaac Wasswa to terrorise bibanja holders of Block 66 Plot 7, 8, and 9. 

Ms Nabakooba said if the owner of the land died, those who come in his place have to bring letters of administration and update records in their names as administrators but not randomly start evicting people. 

“I don’t want to hear someone claiming ownership of the land yet they don’t have documents to that effect. You have given us the plot and block of this land, we are going to put a caveat on it and no one will do anything on this land,” Ms Nabakooba said, adding: “Those who have your bibanja that have not yet been encroached on, use them.” 

The minister said when the ministry  finds the rightful owners of the land in their records, they will then advise on the next step. 

She ordered the area leaders to ensure residents are not evicted and threatened to arrest whoever will defy the Presidential directive and the land laws. 

Ms Nabakooba said the government wants to see that there is harmonious co-existence between landlords and bibanja owners and that is why they are constantly pushing for the President to get them money to buy land for people like them. 

“As you know, our needs as the government are quite many and land keeps on appreciating yet we also need to handle other things like roads, hospitals and education. The president is, however, serious on this matter. When we were campaigning in Buganda, the land question was recurrent everywhere we went,” Ms Nabakooba said. 

The minister concluded her visit at Saala A Kabule Ward. Here, Francis Muwonge, a representative of bibanja holders, told her that more than 100 homes and 600 residents were facing eviction.