Lands ministry moves to cancel 79 land titles
What you need to know:
- The hearing notice was premised on the complaint filed by the National Forestry Authority (NFA) alleging that the certificates of title that are held by various people were erroneously and or wrongly in part or in whole issued on land which forms part of the central forest reserves in the country.
Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development has moved to cancel at least 79 land tiles identified in the Central Forest Reserves across the country.
In the notice issued on Tuesday, the ministry summoned registered proprietors of the titles for a hearing aimed at amending the register book citing provisions of Section 91 of the Land Act.
“Notice is hereby given to the Land titles holders whose names and certificates of title details listed that a public hearing has been scheduled on Thursday, February 18, 2021 in the Board Room of the ministry,” reads the notice signed by Mr Robert Opio, the Acting Commissioner Land Registration.
The hearing notice was premised on the complaint filed by the National Forestry Authority (NFA) alleging that the certificates of title that are held by various people were erroneously and or wrongly in part or in whole issued on land which forms part of the central forest reserves in the country.
Mr Opio explained that the notice seeks to effect cancellation of the said titles that have been sent to respective addresses availed on the certificates of titles.
He said that the copy of the complaint from NFA is available for collection from the office of the Commissioner Land registration.
“The Land title holders should endeavor to attend the public hearing without fail and should come with their documents supporting their respective claims of ownership of the various pieces of land described on the said certificates of title,” further reads the notice.
The leasehold land titles in dispute are identified at Namanve (Mukono and Wakiso districts), Mubende, Mawongola, Masaka-Bugahya (Kikuube District), Singo (Mityana), Entebbe (Wakiso), Buvma District, and Bunyangabu District.
Mr Moses Muhumuza, the NFA legal manager on Tuesday said that the 79 titles are just part of the list of 406 titles submitted in a complaint filed with the ministry last week.
“We have been compiling a list of titles that have been identified in central forest reserves during our patrols across the country and found people encroaching on parts of the forest reserves,” he said in an interview with Daily Monitor.
He also revealed that some of the titles in dispute were identified while working with the lands ministry in areas of Mukono and Wakiso districts while others were revealed by developers who contacted NFA when carrying out due diligence.
In 2017, the government said in a statement that it had revoked 96 land titles issued in error or fraudulently in Kyewaga, Namanve, and Nonve Central Forest Reserves, all in Wakiso District.
Statistics show that the country loses at least 9000 hectares of forest reserves every year due to encroachment.
In 2019, NFA officials revealed that they were battling at least 120 land-related cases in different courts across the country.
The officials said that NFA sued various people found illegally holding titles and also sued either for eviction or cancellation of titles.
