Family lays claim to land housing four institutions
Busaana Town Council headquarters. A family has laid claim to the land on which the town council headquarters and three other institutions sit. PHOTO | FRED MUZAALE
A family in Kayunga District is demanding the relocation of four institutions from a disputed piece of land.
The affected institutions include Busaana Police Station, Busaana Health Centre III, Busaana Prison, and Busaana Town Council headquarters.
A member of the family of the late James Muzeeyi, who did not want to be named, said they have a title proving that they are the rightful owners of the disputed land.
According to the district leaders, the institutions sit on 220 acres of land. However, district officials dispute the authenticity of the land title.
In an interview with Daily Monitor on Monday, Mr Saleh Bulinsoni, the Kayunga District speaker, said: “The late Muzeeyi died in 1997, when the health centre, prison buildings and Busaaba Sub-county buildings that were later handed over to Busaana Town Council, were already in place. Why didn’t they raise that issue of ownership when the late Muzeeyi was still alive?”
Mr Abdul Batambuze, the Kayunga Chief Administrative Officer, said he had written to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands and the Kayunga District police commander about the issue, but he has not received any feedback from them.
Mr Batambuze said he wants the Mukono area zonal land office to cancel the title held by the family, which he said was obtained illegally.
“I have communicated to the DPC to institute criminal inquiries into the matter. It is a shame that even government facilities are not safe from land grabbers in this country,” he said.
He added: “When I heard that someone is claiming ownership of that land, I was surprised, though not shocked because in Uganda everything is possible.”
Mr Felix Mugizi, the Kayunga District police commander, said investigations are underway to find out how the family got a land title.
The Busaana Town Council mayor, Mr David Mubialiwo, said they cannot move the institutions unless directed by the court.
Mr Denis Obbo, the public relations officer of the Ministry of Lands, said they will check through their records to determine who owns the land. He added that if it is found that the family are the true owners of the land, they will negotiate with them and find a way to solving the issue
This development comes at a time when Kayunga Town council authorities are negotiating with the late Malaki Kalya’s family to give them a title for the land on which the council offices sit.
