Minister seeks prayers to protect bibanja holders

The government wants all bibanja holders to have land titles and gain full ownership of their property.

The development was revealed by the State minister for Lands, Mr Sam Mayanja, during a prayer session for the 14th Nations International Conference at Caring Hearts Community Victory Church, Kagula in Wakiso District on Wednesday.

Minister Mayanja said the government has done everything possible, including enacting laws that protect bibanja holders, but the laws are being violated, so  we ‘‘decided to pray for all the victims of land grabbing’’.

“The 120-year struggle of the kibanja holder to regain his inheritance and rights [has been on] before the 1900 Buganda Agreement. It has been a long one since 1900, but with the patronage of President Museveni, we shall win it,” he said. Mr Mayanja added that the kibanja holder has a security of occupancy estimated at 70 percent while the 30 percent looks at the title.

“You cannot be on occupancy all the time because according to the Constitution, the land belongs to the people of Uganda and it is vested in them by the tenure system indicated in the Constitution,” Dr Mayanja said.

He also revealed that the Constitution has four tenure systems that include Mailo, Freehold, Leasehold, and Customary land.

“The kibanja holder is only guaranteed security of occupancy on Mailo, Leasehold, and Freehold. He needs to also have a tenure such that land vests in him,” he said.

The minister also revealed that the Constitution, under Article 237 (9), indicates that Parliament that would be formed after the two years of the Constitution would enact two laws. One that would create a relationship between the landlord and the kibanja holder and the other that empowers the kibanja holder to gain a land title.

“Let’s wait for that law whether the landlord will be compensated or the government will buy the land,” he said.

Pr Paul Musisi, the founder of Caring Hearts Community Victory Church, said the conference brings together Born Agains from different countries in East Africa and abroad to serve God.

“I think I was led by the Holy Spirit to go to these nations, look for pastors in this region, and tell them if nations can come together and find a way forward. We come together as pastors to form a spiritual federation, to study and learn the Bible and fight all the wickedness in these nations,” he said.

Pr Musisi added that pastors who engage in land grabbing are ‘fake’ men of God who formed churches to steal innocent people.

“By the time I gave my life to Christ, pastors were not as they are today. They were poor, they were not driving, and they didn’t own fancy houses. But in our generation, pastors in all the nations are now rich. And some of them are dealers, who are looking for money because you cannot steal land from your followers,” he said.

Background

Dr Mayanja said the history of Bibanja holders started in 1900 after the signing of the 1900 Buganda Agreement, which meant that all the land was now in the hands of the colonialists, not until 1975 under the military rule of Idi Amin who again transferred the powers in the hands of the government.

It was until President Museveni came to power in 1986 that the government formed a Constitution that gave people powers over land.

About conference

    The conference that started on December 3 is expected to run up to December 10, bringing together believers of the Born Again faith from the East African countries and abroad.