Kayunga leaders, residents lose hope in govt free land title project

Leaders and residents of Kayunga District, who had been selected to obtain freehold titles under a government project, have lost hope due to the delays in its implementation.

The  then  State Minister for Lands, Ms Percis Namuganza, initiated the project in 2017, targeting 20,000 beneficiaries.

“We have since 2019 abandoned that project  because it seems government just hoodwinked us, ” Mr Isaac Kanzaali, the Kitimbwa Town Council chairperson, said last week.

Mr Kanzaali said although residents filled application forms and had their pieces of  land surveyed, they have since received “empty” promises from Lands officials.

The beneficiaries from 16 villages in Kitimbwa and Kayonza sub-counties claim the district land board sold  their land illegally in 2014 to Kayunga Sugar Works Ltd, a subsidiary of Madhvani Group of Companies.

They were to be issued with freehold titles to strengthen their land ownership.

Ms Namuganza, who now handles the Housing docket under the same ministry, at the weekend said at least 10,000 titles of beneficiaries who had paid the Shs70,000 processing fee were almost ready. In January last year, the  ministry spokesperson, Mr Dennis Obbo, said they were in advanced stages of the project.

 “I assure you that 987 beneficiaries should be expectant that they are going to get their titles next month (February 2021),” he said.

Although some people paid the Shs70,000 processing fee, Mr Darius Kaggwa, the secretary of the district land board, said the project is free.

Ms Ida Nantaba, the district Woman MP,  also told beneficiaries not to pay the fee, saying the project is fully funded by government.

Mr Joel Kayiira, the acting district chairperson , said they have not heard any information pertaining to  the project for a while.

“I see some old correspondences in my files about the project, I also don’t know anything about its progress,” Mr Kayiira said.

Mr Kaggwa (secretary district land board) said the ministry had concluded surveying of all the pieces of  land to process deed plans for individual bibanja holders.

“Some deed plans were delivered to the district, but  we have not received many of them. We are going to write to the ministry to speed up the process,”  he said.

Ms Judith Nabakooba, the Minister of Lands, said her ministry would work with the district leaders to fast-track the project.

“At least, I have been informed that the process is almost complete,”  she said.