Panic as leaders move to cancel illegal leases at Mutukula border

KYOTERA- Dozens of people who benefited from lease offers on land belonging to Uganda Prisons Service in Mutukula Town Council, Kyotera District have protested a plan by district authorities to cancel their leases.

This comes weeks  after Kyotera District leaders announced that they were in advanced stages of revoking some  lease offers and cancel certificates of title of about 150 developers   on account that they acquired them fraudulently.

 Some of the affected developers claim they paid between Shs720,000  and Shs750,000 per acre to  officials   at Rakai District    Land  Office to obtain the  leases before Kyotera became a district .

“When Rakai District passed a development plan for Mutukula Town Council, they leased that land to us. We are wondering why leaders in Kyotera, a district which was created in 2017 want to overturn what was earlier decided,” Mr Bernard Matovu, one of the affected developers, said at the weekend. “We paid for our plots of land and obtained building plans to develop them but we have been denied access to our land.''

Mr Iddi Kazibwe, says he bought a plot and constructed a residential house on it.

“We are asking the Inspector General of Government to investigate why district leaders want to evict us and give the land to other people,” he said.

The outgoing Chief Administrative Officer, Ms Joanita Nakityo said they received communication from Ministry of Lands halting all transactions on the land after learning that some developers had fraudulently acquired it.

“Although some developers were given leases on the land, others simply encroached on it and the matter is before court. I advise those complaining to remain calm and wait for the court verdict .We also   want as a district  to know who genuinely  paid for their plots of  land,” she said.

 In 2011, Rakai District acquired more than 2,200 acres of land at Mutukula border from Uganda Prison Services after agreeing to relocate the prison facility from the town.

 “This arrangement [of allocating land] was done before Kyotera District was carved out of Rakai District. By the time we got a district, The Prison Services retained 500 acres and   2,200 acres were  given to the district,” she said.

Kyotera District Physical Planner, Ms Olivia Nakaliri said some developers who have genuine lease payment receipts will soon get their land.

“During the process of surveying the land, we learnt that some unscrupulous people had illegally settled on the land .This is the only part of the land which is under dispute and the matter is in court,” she said.

Mutukula which was recently elevated to a town council is one of the fastest growing townships in Kyotera Town because of its strategic location at the Uganda-Tanzania border.

There has been a remarkable increase in volumes of transit cargo through Mutukula   Border Post ever since it became a one – stop-border –post, which operates 24 hours since 2017.

Transit goods, travellers exiting through Mutukula to either Tanzania or Uganda, stop once for clearance by Immigration and Customs officials.

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