Lands Minister, Judith Nalule Nabakooba has cautioned landlords to stop evicting people and instead start accepting Busuulu since it is stipulated within the law.
The minister made the call while addressing residents in a meeting for different villages convened at Nswanjere Village, Mpenja Sub-county in Gomba District, to ease tension on some contested lands.
She directed all landlords to print out receipt books and let people start paying them.
The land in contention covers villages of Kiriri, Nswanjere, Bujege, Kanzira and Kisubi in Mpenja sub-county, Gonna district and it is located in Gomba Block 299, Plots 101, 102, 123, 216 and 218.
It approximately measures 2.5 square miles and has over 1000 residents who have farms and homes on it since it was divided in a number of plots.
Titles are currently registered in the names of Emma Katto, Patrick Katto and George Katto as administrators of the estate of the late Thomas Yamule Katto.
It is alleged that the administrators signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Bruno Nsekanabo through Tusiima Property Consultants Limited to facilitate the titling process and the consideration was part of the land in contention.
“What I don’t agree with, is the rejection of Busulu because it is even indicated in the law. If the occupants have no money to get full ownership of their land, we have other alternatives. I don’t want to hear anyone telling me that you coerced them to give you money,” she ordered.
“Let landlords make Busuulu receipt books and tenants pay according to the rates you have here in Gomba,”she added.
According to Nabakooba, it is the district that is in charge of setting the Busuulu rates for tenants.
“If at all they fail, you can come to the ministry and we will give you the rates based on the value and location of the land.”
In the meeting, Gomba East legislator, Godfrey Ssaazi, claimed police are interfering with the land issues in the area but the minister explained to him that police and local council leaders are responsible to cause sanity in their areas but have to do it with equity.
She called on the different security agencies and government officials to avoid corruption in matters that have to do with land.
“RDC, let people stay on their land and landlords print receipt books for Busulu. To evict people, you must have passed through a process which just doesn’t stop in court. It can as well proceed to the ministry,” she guided.
Residents cry out
Eddy Majanja, a resident of Bujege revealed that his Kibanja was grabbed and subdivided into three plots, his food was destroyed and the land fenced last year.
“They uprooted my coffee plantation and I didn’t respond to them.”
Just like Mayanja, Ms Dorothy Nakamanyiro, a resident of Kisubi, said her land was grabbed by one Bruno Nsekanabo who later planted eucalyptus trees there.
“They destroyed all my crops without my knowledge. I have nothing to feed my grandchildren.”
Local leaders speak out
Mr Micheal Musisi, chairperson Kiriri village, noted that after the death of Thomas Bamulemye, in 2018, land administrators came up and asked tenants to buy the land, threatening that they would bring wealthy people to buy it off.
Mr Bosco Ssegirinya, Mpenja sub-county Chairperson explained that people can hardly embrace government programmes because their occupation is agriculture, and yet they have nowhere to practice it.
