Prime
Ministry, lawyer clash over corruption in lands office
Land minister Betty Amongin (L) and Mr Peter Mulira
Kampala- Government has written to the World Bank and the Inspector General of Government (IGG) rebuffing the evidence brought by a city lawyer on alleged fraud in the computerisation of land titles.
Lawyer Peter Mulira also vowed to challenge the constitutionality of the government’s computerisation of land titles programme.
In the response to Mr Mulira’s allegations, the Lands ministry officials have counter-accused him of “shouting fraud where there is no fraud”. They also presented evidence showing that some of the land Mr Mulira claims was fraudulently transferred to the Uganda Land Commission, was actually sold by his father in 1970.
The ministry officials, in a September 26 letter copied to the Prime Minister and Lands minister, sought to dispel the accusations of fraud in the donor-funded computerisation of titles programme and accused Mr Mulira of “making allegations which are grave and wrong and not based on understanding the procedure, practices of history of land registration.”
“…your allegations are not only false, are not researched and are intended to alarm the public about the Land Office and the Register….they also border on defamation and slander to the person of Sarah Kulata Basangwa,” the ministry’s response reads in part.
The ministry’s letter further reads: “Unfortunately because of misconception, you come to wrong and baseless conclusions which are discriminatory, tribalistic, alarming, divisive and can cause confusion to the public…. the logical step [we] would expect is for you to retract the slanderous statements with apology.”
On September 8, Mr Mulira petitioned the Attorney General, alleging fraud in the computerisation of land titles office and in particular implicated the Commissioner for Land Registration, Ms Sarah Kulata and two ministers he did not name for unexplained reasons.
Earlier, on August 29, the same lawyer wrote to the Inspector General of Government levelling complaints against the Office of the Registrar of Titles with regard to his family land and other cases involving one of his clients.
Daily Monitor understands that on September 20, Mulira met the ministry officials on the invitation of the Lands minister, Ms Betty Amongi.
After presenting his claims, he was told they were based on wrong assumptions while some were clarified in the meeting.
However, it was agreed to give him information regarding the disputed titles and the minister and the Permanent Secretary instructed Ms Kulata to respond in writing.
Explaining the disputed closure of Final Certificates (FC) and Milo Register Volume (MRV) and Folio Registers as an alleged ploy to dispossess the Baganda of almost 15 per cent of their land, the ministry said the FC undertaking was part of the 1908 Register which was closed by Section 32 of Registration of Titles Act and all FC registers upon closure moved to the MRV register.
The MRV was also closed in the 1950s up to 1960s and was brought into the new register of Block and Plot referencing.
“The existing owner (s) and the existing encumbrances were moved into the new register,” the ministry said, adding that no one was disposed of their land. It is therefore wrong and incorrect for you [Mulira] to allege and state that almost 15 per cent of the Baganda were dispossessed of their land,” Ms Kulata explains in the government response.
Mr Mulira had also alleged that Kyaggwe Block 299 Plot 33 land at Mbukiro was fraudulently transferred to Uganda Land Commission, but the ministry officials showed Mr Mulira how 282 acres of plot 30 was surveyed for ULC in 1971.
The surveyed land was named Plot 93 and accordingly a transfer from Eridadi Medadi Kasirye Mulira for Plot 93 was registered on 11/1/1971 under the instrument MKO39102.
The ministry found that the then registered proprietor of Plot 93 was Mr Mulira’s father. He sold the land and transferred it to ULC for a consideration of Shs109,500 of 1970.
“Senior counsel, your allegation that the land was fraudulently transferred is not only misleading, is baseless and is not backed by any evidence,” the ministry letter reads and refers to the attached copy of the transfer form, the mutation form and certificates of titles.
When contacted yesterday, Mr Mulira said he had not received the ministry’s response to his concerns and insisted that his complaint was about the fraud in the computerised system used by ministry officials to steal peoples land.
Although Mr Mulira told this newspaper that he saw a letter from Mukono District land registry, wondering how the land in question came to be owned by ULC, ministry of Lands told World Bank that the Mukono land was sold by his father in 1971.
“The issue of my family is diversionary… the issue is about the fraud in computerisation of titles and turning mailo land into freehold,” Mr Mulira said.
When contacted yesterday ministry of Lands spokesperson Dennis Obbo confirmed the ministry’s letter to Mr Mulira, World Bank and IGG on the alleged fraud in land office and accused Mr Mulira of “peddling naked lies” and challenged him to produce evidence.
