Military board summoned over alleged land grabbing
Defence and Army spokesperson Brig Felix Kulayigye.
The military land board has been summoned over allegations that soldiers of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces have grabbed 20 acres of prime land at Katabi in Wakiso District from a private citizen.
According to a March 22 letter from the office of the deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC) in Entebbe, the scheduled meeting is for March 30.
“The purpose of this letter is to invite you for a meeting at this office on March 30. Please come with all the necessary documents about the conflicted land,” reads in part the letter signed by Hajj Njuki Mbabaali, the outgoing deputy RDC for Entebbe.
Also invited for the Wednesday meeting are the chairperson of Katabi Town Council, the district staff surveyor, the area land board and village leaders.
According to the letter titled ‘Trespass on land at Kitala- Bemba,’ the RDC states that he received a complaint of how unknown soldiers are claiming the Katabi land.
The letter states that lawyers of Ssemengo and Company Advocates filed the complaint on behalf of businessman Frank Matovu.
The RDC said Katabi Town Council had raised similar complaints against the soldiers in the same area and that on many occasions, there have been unlawful arrests and denial of Mr Matovu, who is the alleged registered proprietor of the land to open its boundaries. Last month, Mr Matovu accused the soldiers of encroaching and blocking him from utilising his land situated on Block 425 in two plots at Kitala in Wakiso District.
He petitioned the Attorney General, alleging that soldiers, who reside in a military detach that neighbours the land, have since trespassed on it without his consent and knowledge.
Defence and Army spokesperson Brig Felix Kulayigye, insisted that the land belongs to the army.
“That is our land and I personally know it since 1993 because we had a political school there and when the school closed, people took advantage and created titles,” Brig Kulayigye said in a telephone interview.
Mr Matovu claims that he purchased the land on three separate land titles from Mr Christopher Musisi, Mr Bernard Kiwanuka and Ms Diana Birungi but the soldiers have since annexed it without following the law.
