Land disputes stifling PDM progress in Kyankwanzi - Nabakooba

Lands Minister Judith Nabakooba addressing residents at Kyankwanzi District headquarters on Saturday PHOTO | EDISON NDYANSIIMA
What you need to know:
- The minister noted that in instances where leases expire, former landowners continue to use the land, causing problems for the sitting bibanja holders.
Lands Minister, Ms Judith Nabakooba, has attributed the slow adoption of Parish Development Model (PDM) cash in some districts to persistent land disputes. In Kyankwanzi district, for instance, most of the disputed land is owned by the government and was formerly leased, but the leasehold titles have expired.
"We are going to forge ways of guiding the districts on how they should handle expired leases, but also the land whose leases are still running but the land is not in possession," Ms Nabakooba said during a recent visit to Kyankwanzi district headquarters.
The minister noted that in instances where leases expire, former landowners continue to use the land, causing problems for the sitting bibanja holders. "We have discovered that the Kyankwanzi cattle corridor is one of the most affected in PDM and land matters. You find one person with vast chunks of land lying idle," she said.
The Kyankwanzi district has received Shs22 billion of PDM cash in two phases, with Shs11 billion disbursed to beneficiaries in the Financial Years 2022/2023 and 2023/2024. However, some beneficiaries are struggling to repay the money due to land conflicts.
Mr Frank Bilalo, a resident of Kanyogoga Village, shared his ordeal, saying, "My home was set on fire, and all the money I had kept in the house was burnt." He appealed to President Museveni for assistance.
The disputed 7-square-mile piece of land on ranch 16, allocated to Makerere University in 1989, is another contentious issue. The land has 78 sitting tenants who claim ownership and are unwilling to vacate, despite it being registered under Makerere University's name.
Banda Sub-county Chairperson, Peter Kabatangare, emphasized the need to address the issue, saying, "We need to look through that issue and see what we are going to do with the squatters because they have no other land where to relocate."
Ms Nabakooba directed the Kyankwanzi deputy Resident District Commissioner, Ms Perusi Kabale, to investigate the land disputes and submit a detailed report within a month. The affected villages include Kiryamusunku A and B, Ttendero A and B, Kikuya, and Kijuubya.
Mr Wilberforce Wankangala, a resident of Kiryamusunku Village, highlighted the challenges faced by the community, saying, "Some ex-servicemen had a lease on five square miles which later expired, but they are still claiming ownership without producing documents of ownership." He added that the ex-servicemen were demanding money from squatters, exacerbating the conflict.