Developer takes over cemetery land

KAYUNGA. Kayunga leaders have finally surrendered a three –acre piece of land, which had for the past four decades served as a public cemetery, to a private electricity distribution firm.
The land is in Ntenjeru Village, Kayunga Town Council.
According to the Kayunga Town mayor, Mr Magid Nyanzi, the cemetery has for more than 40 years been used as a burial ground for unclaimed bodies.
It was, however, in March, leased to Megger Technical Services Ltd, by Buganda Kingdom officials to a firm that is carrying out rural electrification project in the district to use it as a holding ground for their equipment.
The land in question has since been fenced off by the firm, leaving a small piece of land to serve as a cemetery.
Mr Nyanzi said leaders agreed to surrender the land to the firm to support the on going power project.
“We need development but at the same time we need a cemetery where we can bury unclaimed bodies. It is a tricky situation,” he said, adding: “We have agreed that when they leave we shall regain the land and use it for burying bodies.”
After the land was leased out, a fierce wrangle erupted between the town council authorities and Mengo officials, who rejected the move and fenced it off.
They claimed the land was illegally given to the firm but Megger Technical Services latter graded the land and in the process, exposed bodies thereby angering residents.
Kayunga RDC Rose Birungi, who acted as a mediator between Mengo and Kayunga Town Council in resolving the wrangle, said they had agreed that after the 18 months, the land reverts back to its original purpose of being a cemetery.
“Let us pray that during this period there are no unclaimed bodies,” Ms Birungi said, adding: “We are keen to see that some unscrupulous people don’t take this land.”
She added that she had also received reports that some local leaders in the area had started selling the cemetery land illegally.
However, the Ntenjeru Village secretary for defence, Mr Ssalongo Najja, refuted claims of the cemetery land being sold, saying the said land belongs to Bannubbi community in the area as it was donated to them by King Daudi Chwa II.
“The land was donated to the Bannubbi as an appreciation to the late Falagi, who killed lions in this area. So neither the Town Council nor Mengo should claim it,” Mr Najja noted.
Mengo chief for Bugerere County, Mr James Ssempiga, however, said the land belongs to Mengo and has a title for it.

Extended purposes
The Kayunga Hospital mortuary attendant, Mr Musa Kabingo, said the cemetery is also used by Naggalama Police Station in Mukono District to burry unclaimed bodies.
“There are many unclaimed bodies that are dumped in Kayunga hospital so we need enough land where we can bury them,” Mr Kabingo said.
Mr Kabingo said at least two unclaimed bodies are registered.