Residents storm RDC’s office over disputed Wakiso land

Residents from at least seven villages in Namayumba sub-country, Wakiso District, are living in fear after suspected land grabbers, protected by a group of bouncers, raided the Busamba land in disregard of government directives and the court order.

It is reported that the dealers descended on the land at the heart of a boiling family dispute and started surveying and demarcating it.

Hundreds of vulnerable residents, some of whom have occupied the disputed land for decades, petitioned President Museveni through State House Anti-Corruption Unit and Lands minister Judith Nabakooba, to intervene and stop what they called “illegal survey targeting more than 1,000 residents” on Busiro Block 53 Plot 15 of the land measuring 1,044.9 acres.

On Tuesday, residents pitched camp at the Wakiso Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Ms Justine Mbabazi’s office for more than six hours, seeking her intervention in the alleged illegal survey and demarcation of the land, even after Ms Nabakooba stopped such activities.

The angry bibanja holders, who were led by Godfrey Mayere and other local leaders, stormed Ms Mbabazi’s office at around 8:30am but didn’t see her. The residents were informed that she was in the field. The residents, however, suspected foul play and accused some of their local leaders of being traitors.

Mr Mayere, who sat with other bibanja holders in a tent adjacent to the RDC’s office, told the Monitor that the purpose of interfacing with Ms Mbabazi was to follow up on the directives stopping surveying and demarcation of the land until the disputes among the Kasamba family members are resolved.

“Our leaders have not helped us. We are asking the President to intervene and stop land grabbers targeting our bibanja. Several villages are going to be evicted if nothing is done. We fixed an appointment with the RDC but when we reached here, her aide told us that she is not available and that we try again next month,” Mr Mayere said.

He added: “This is strange because she had accepted to meet us the previous day. We wanted to inform her about illegal demarcation of the land in question and illegal registration of some bibanja holders that was ongoing despite a directive by Lands minister Nabakooba.”

The RDC, other government officials in Wakiso District and Lands ministry, visited the said Busamba land last year for a fact-finding mission.

READ: Six empty ‘graves’ built on disputed Wakiso land at night

However, after failing to resolve the conflict, Ms Nabakooba suspended all activities on the land to pave way for investigations within the Kasamba family feud.

Mr Mayere said: “During the meeting that we held with the administrators of the land, RDC and officials from the Ministry of Lands last year, we agreed that no bibanja holders should be evicted. But as we speak, the demarcation is going on, in addition to illegally registering some bibanja holders.”

“A national identity card and a sales agreement are some of the requirements they are asking people to present before they are registered. We are worried that we might be evicted yet we have been paying busuulu (lease fees) to the landlord. That is why we decided to come here and share our plight with the RDC,” he added.

Residents speak out

Ms Maria Nalubega, one of the bibanja holders, called for immediate intervention from government so that they can freely utilise their land to prevent food insecurity.

“We don’t dig. We just sneak into the gardens to pick some food. We are afraid the men who are guarding and demarcating this land might harm us,” Ms Nalubega said.

Efforts to get a comment from Ms Mbabazi by press time was futile as she could not answer our repeated phone calls. However, during the December 2022 meeting in Busamba Village, Ms Mbabazi asked residents to remain calm as investigations into the matter continue. She also assured residents that no one would sell or buy the contested land until investigations are complete.

In a statement read during the December meeting by Mr Moses Ssekitto, the acting principal registrar of land titles in the Ministry of Lands, Ms Nabakooba said: “Since it is a family issue, it cannot be concluded today. The minister will meet the concerned parties and review documents of land ownership before a decision can be taken. But the law allows you to stay on your land regardless of who is holding the land title. No one will be evicted.”

Mr Mayere said the bibanja holders were eagerly waiting for that feedback from government to relieve them of the current tension.

“We were told that we would receive feedback in two weeks’ time. We request the concerned parties to expedite the process. We feel we are not safe,” he said.

Mr James Mugenyi, another bibanja holder, admitted that they were living in fear and that government should come to their rescue.

“We no longer do any productive work. We spend most of the time running from one office to another looking for help. We cannot settle before this matter is resolved,” Mr Mugenyi said.

Mr Edward Kirumira, the Wakiso District Councillor for Namayumba Sub-county, said some individuals had defied the minster’s directive of halting the demarcation exercise.

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“The minister suspended all illegal activities that were going on but these people have never relented. They continue demarcating the land. That is why my people have decided to run to the RDC’s for help,” Mr Kirumira said.

 Ministry intervenes

But Mr Ssekitto told this publication in a telephone interview yesterday that the minister’s directive still stands and that surveying and demarcating the land were illegal.

“We are trying to get in touch with the surveyors to understand what exactly they are doing because the minister’s directive still stands. Whatever they are doing is illegal and must stop,” he said, adding, “I anticipate that by Friday we will have reached a concrete position on what they are doing. I am sure the families have not ended their fights. We had let the family issues to be handled first. They can’t start dealing with bibanja holders before the rightful landlord is identified.”

Family wrangles

When this publication talked to Mr Richard Ssemitala, who claimed to be one of the grandsons of the late Lubajja and one of the administrators of the land, he said they hired experts to survey the land so that it could equally be distributed among the existing eight families of the late Lubajja.

He said it was anticipated that after dividing the land, each family head would agree with the occupants to either buy the land or pay lease fees.

But Mr Mathias Mulumba Ssegantebuka, another grandchild and an acting administrator of the land in Busamba, said he would not allow the land to be divided again. He suggested that some of the people advocating for the division of land should be subjected to a DNA test first. However, the suggestion was rejected by some of the family members.

Mr Mulumba added that original land documents indicate that Lubajja was not the title holder but rather a trustee of the land, “appointed in 1961”. Some family members also said he (Lugujja) was not buried on the same land.

Mr Mulumba noted that when Lugujja disappeared from home in 1980s, the responsibility of taking care of the land was handed over to Edward Ssemitala Kinagomba in 1988. When Kinagomba passed away, the responsibility was then given to Mr Deo Ssentamu, another grandson of Lubajja, who now lives in Canada.

In Mr Ssentamu’s absentia, Mr Mulumba said he was left to act as an administrator. He added that in 1995, the said land was divided among the eight families and an inventory to that effect was filed in court.

Background

Although this family conflict is being battled in courts of law and investigated by the Lands ministry, tension continues to build in affected villages as bibanja holders impatiently await their fate.    

Recently, enraged residents asked President Museveni to intervene and protect the interests of bibanja holders who are now living in fear of eviction as family members fight over ownership of the land.

 “Our fathers were buried here and they even participated in the 1980-1986 Bush War that brought the NRM (National Resistance Movement) government into power,” one of the aggrieved residents, who declined to disclose his identity for personal security reasons, said.

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Another female resident, who is also a member of the same household, said: “We cannot be refugees in our country. We are Ugandans. We want the President to come in and stop these land dealers in Busamba Village or else we will mobilise our people and defend our bibanja. We are law-abiding citizens and we have been paying busuulu. We don’t want to be provoked.”

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