Mengo rekindles plan to reclaim Bukakkata forest
Bukakkata residents show Mr Abudallah Kato (in jacket) part of the forest which they had cleared for the construction of the offices for Kabaka’s officials in Bukakkata Sub- county in 2016. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- In a May 19, 2021 letter addressed to the NFA range manager in charge of Sango Bay, BLB appealed to the authority to negotiate and settle the land issue.
Buganda Kingdom has embarked on their earlier plan to reclaim a disputed piece of land in Bukakkata Sub-county in Masaka District, which National Forestry Authority (NFA) insists is part of Bukakkata Forest Reserve.
Mr Abdallah Kato, the deputy Pokino (Kabaka’s chief in charge of Buddu County), on Sunday told Daily Monitor that the disputed three-acre piece of land is on Block 341 ,Plot 1, Bukakkata County.
He said the land was donated by one of Kabaka’s subjects to house the administrative offices for Mituba Abiiri (Kabaka’s sub-county representative) in Bukakkata during the reign of Muteesa II, but whenever they try to develop it, people claiming to be from NFA frustrate their plan, citing encroachment.
“We wrote a letter to NFA requesting them to go to the ground together with us and we settle this dispute, but they have declined to turn up yet they stopped us from developing our land claiming it is part of a forest reserve. We have now embarked on our earlier plans of developing the land by constructing offices for Mituba Abiiri-Bukakkata,” Mr Kato said.
He wondered why NFA failed to stop people who illegally cut down trees from other forests in the same sub- county and transport the huge logs away, but want to stop the construction of the office of the Kabaka’s representative.
“The authority did not stop the central government from constructing Bukakkata Sub-county headquarters and a health centre on the same forest reserve, but is stopping the landlord, who is the Kabaka from carrying out development projects on his land,” he said.
Mr Kato said they are also planning to put up coffee, banana and cassava plantations on the land.
In a May 19, 2021 letter addressed to the NFA range manager in charge of Sango Bay, BLB appealed to the authority to negotiate and settle the land issue.
“The purpose of this communication, therefore, is to request your office to get in touch with Buganda Land Board to have this boundary issue /conflict handled as soon as possible in order to pave way construction of the offices,” the letter read in part
Ms Juliet Mubi, the NFA spokesperson, said they are planning to open boundaries to rule out any possible encroachment on forest land.
