State House blames rampant land conflicts in Luweero on fraud, family disputes
One of the victims of the land conflicts,Mr Steven Mugambwa whose house was recently demolished in Semuto Town Council, Nakaseke District. PHOTO | DAN WANDERA
What you need to know:
- The team that is currently pitching camp in Luweero District on the instruction of President Museveni to help resolve some of the land-related conflicts that are not before Courts of Law, says that many cases involve family members who fail to fairly distribute the property.
Officials from the State House land directorate have blamed the rampant land conflicts in the districts of Greater Luweero on fraud, family disputes, and loss of integrity for a section of the individuals supposed to be custodians of public trust.
The team that is currently pitching camp in Luweero District on the instruction of President Museveni to help resolve some of the land-related conflicts that are not before Courts of Law, says that many cases involve family members who fail to fairly distribute the property.
“We have helped resolve over 100 land-related disputes in a period of two weeks in the Luweero area. Many fraudulent land transactions have been unearthed and helped the true owners recover their respective land from the suspected fraudsters. Family land-related disputes are a big source of land conflict. Through sensitization and mediation, the cases are getting resolved,” Mr Nathan Bwogi, a lawyer attached to the State House land directorate, said in an interview with the Monitor on Thursday.
He said in one of the land cases, a mother (widow) colluded and sold off land and is engaged in a bitter land conflict with her own children.
Ms Mariam Namayanja, a member of the State House legal team handling the land-related cases, believes that some of the land-related cases involve individuals that impersonate and use government offices to execute the illegal land transactions that in many cases involve unlawful eviction of lawful land occupants.
“This is the very reason why President Museveni dispatched the team to help residents that face unending threats from suspected land grabbers. We ensure that the opposing parties in a particular land conflict physically appear before our committee to defend their respective stand on a particular land matter.
She said a section of village leaders have been faulted for failing to execute their respective duties with integrity and side with some suspected fraudulent individuals to abuse the rights to land ownership mostly bibanja holders.
“Both the landlords and the bonafide bibanja holders have the same rights on the land. The land laws are very clear and cannot be twisted in favor of the landlords. We are now sensitizing the public about their respective rights to property including land ownership.” she added
Mr Richard Bwabye, the Luweero Resident District commissioner in a brief interview with the Monitor on Wednesday revealed that his office registers more than 50 land-related conflicts monthly.
Land has continued to be a sticky issue in many districts in central Uganda where wealthy people with land titles are evicting poor tenants from their ancestral land claiming that they are illegally settling on the land. It is on this basis that the government is pushing for land reforms which they say are aimed at curing rampant evictions in the country. The rich and politically well-connected individuals with land titles are the ones being accused of evicting poor tenants from their ancestral land claiming that they are illegally settling on the land.
