IGG orders interdiction of Land Commission official

The Inspector General of Government, Ms Beti Kamya, has ordered immediate interdiction of the Uganda Land Commission (ULC) secretary days after going after the institution’s chairperson.
In a December 1 letter to the Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Ms Judith Nabakooba, Ms Kamya said Ms Barbarah Imaryo — the ULC secretary — should step aside so that she may not interfere with investigations of abuse of office.

“Public interest demands that a public officer under investigation for abuse of office be interdicted from exercising powers and functions of her/his office for fear that she/he might interfere with investigations,” Ms Kamya’s letter reads in part.
The Secretary of the ULC is also the accounting officer responsible for overall coordination, direction and management of all functions of the Land Commission secretariat.
Last month, Ms Beatrice Byenkya, the chairperson of the ULC, was interdicted at Ms Kamya’s behest.

Ms Nabakooba confirmed that the ombudsman wrote to her with instructions about the ULC secretary, adding: “We shall comply with the directives.”
We were unable to reach out to Ms Imaryo for a response to the interdiction. The investigations into the Land Commission, however, emanate from a range of issues, including the creation of a second land title of Nabisunsa Girls Secondary School, parceling of government land in Kajjansi on Entebbe Road, and management of the Land Fund.
In February, when Ms Kamya was Lands minister, she had a standoff with ULC over payment of Shs12b by the Land Fund to land claimants. 

Ms Byenkya, while in a parliamentary committee, said Ms Kamya just wanted to use ULC for the release of a supplementary paper. The ULC boss denied being aware of the payments. She later sought police help to investigate mismanagement and fraud in her commission. 
On October 12, a resolution of ULC members effectively accused Ms Byenkya of misconduct, high-handedness and malice. Ms Byenkya was faulted for writing letters to the Director of Bank of Uganda and the police to investigate the ULC officers and alleged fraud in payments of the Land Fund without involving them in the discussion that led to her action.

“The members of the commission condemn the actions of the chairperson, Hon Byenkya and disassociate themselves from the said actions since they are not premised on any facts adduced to the members of the commission or the secretary,” a letter signed by all the ULC members reads in part.
However, the Criminal Investigations Directorate continued with the investigations and has since made several arrests and seizure of documents in regard to the payments to ghost land claimants.