Minister orders arrest of 4 businessmen over grabbing govt land

Lands minister Judith Nabakooba has ordered arrest of four Iganga-based businessmen over allegedly grabbing government land housing Nakalama Sub-county headquarters and a seed school in Nakalama Village.

The accused are Hamdan Nkobe, Said Baga, Deo Wakabi and Muhammad Swaga.

According to Nakalama Sub-county LC3 chairman Hamidu Kawanguzi, the land in mention measures 35 acre.

“Ttechnocrats and politicians in Iganga District are said to have helped the accused to get land tittles on the contested land,” he told Monitor on Wedneday.

Meanwhile, Nabakooba said she learnt about this land row from area leaders who complained to her office that the district officials and local leaders are conniving with land grabbers to sell off the land government is planning to develop.

“Take Hamdan and retrieve all the documents concerning this land from him. We even need the application forms he used to acquire the land and also let all the suspects make police statements. They should also tell us who permitted them to sign on the documents when they very well know this is public land,” she directed on Tuesday.

She also ordered the Iganga Resident District Commissioner (RDC) to work with police to retrieve all the documents from the other suspected land grabbers and make thorough investigations into the matter before March 11 when they are expected to convene again for public hearing.

“We are going to use between now and March 11 to retrieve all the paperwork, application forms, the titles, interview and interrogate those people who are involved such as the area land committee, the district members they are talking about, and the people who got the titles,” she said.

She further cautioned leaders and government officials against selling government properties, warning “it will land them into trouble.”

She added: “You are shaming us if now you have started descending on government land and you sell it for your own self-interests. This land has a school that has existed for almost 40 years and the sub-county headquarters.”

It is alleged that Hajj Nkobe initially had four acres of land on the sub-county land and later acquired more four acres through the sub-county chief (Wakabi), and the area lands officials who signed on the documents and gave him the title.

Kawanguzi said they tried to drag the land grabbers to courts of law but lost the case.

“Court looked at his documents and they got a handwriting expert who told us it is true the land was sold and the documents were signed,” he said.

He added that “the district legal officer advised them to withdraw the case from court, and deal with the suspect out of court to save government money.”

Suspect speaks out

Nkobe said the land belonged to their late father and not the sub-county.

“Our late father had only verbally given this land to the parish for a temporary office, but not the sub-county,” he said.

He added: “The sub-county authorities do not have papers indicating ownership of this land.”