The Ministry of Lands has acquired 50 square miles of land in the Buganda Sub-region to permanently settle bibanja holders. This move aims to address ongoing disputes between landlords and tenants.
Lands Minister Judith Nabakooba announced the land purchase, stating that funds from the Land Fund were used to buy the land in various districts within Buganda.
“Some people have been claiming that the Land Fund is for other regions and has not benefited people in Buganda. This is not true. There is evidence that several landlords have been compensated so that they can leave the sitting tenants to settle peacefully on their ancestral land,” said Nabakooba during the 35th Heroes Day commemoration at Kasooli-Mpenja playground in Gomba District. President Museveni presided over the event.
In Gomba District, 475 sitting tenants have begun receiving free land titles after the government compensated their landlords, according to Nabakooba.
However, she did not specify the total amount allocated for landlord compensation in the Buganda Sub-region.
“Our message is clear: once the landlord is paid, let him accept the agreed package and leave the poor tenants to settle permanently,” Nabakooba added.
A similar initiative took place in Mubende District, where 320 residents occupying Buwekula Block 247, Plot 24 received land titles from the government in April.
These beneficiaries are part of 958 residents occupying 518 hectares initially owned by Morris Peter Kagimu Kiwanuka, who transferred the title to the Uganda Land Commission.
The government also compensated Martin Kawuki for adjacent land in Kigando, comprising Buwekula Block 247, Plot 21, with ongoing activities to transfer this land to the beneficiaries.
Recently, Nabakooba revealed that the government requires nearly USh47.2 trillion to compensate all landlords nationwide, allowing sitting tenants to settle without fear of eviction.
President Museveni noted that the issue of landlords and bibanja holders was addressed in the Constituent Assembly (CA) and the Land Act of 1998.
“We said a landlord has no power to evict a kibanja person, especially the one who was on that plot of land by 1983. The only requirement was some annual nominal ground rent (busuulu in Buganda), set by the district land boards. The landlords must accept what we agreed in 1995,” Museveni stated.
Museveni expressed concern over some landlords ignoring the agreed annual nominal ground rent fees and proceeding with evictions.
“It should be remembered that in 1995, a new Constitution was established, and land rights were clarified, stating that the land in Uganda belonged to its people, and reinstated private land ownership,” he said.
Museveni ordered landlords charging more than the agreed busuulu fees to return the excess to bibanja holders or face arrest.
“The landlords who have been charging more than the agreed busuulu fees must return it, and if they try to evict our people, we shall arrest them. You must pay back all the money you have taken from these people, and the evictions are illegal,” he said.
Geoffrey Kiviiri, the Gomba District chairperson, stated that the approved annual nominal ground rent fees in the district are Shs10,000 per year.
However, some landlords have refused these payments, leading to increased land disputes. Museveni emphasized the need for new policies to address this issue.
“Maybe what we have to resolve in the NRM parliamentary caucus is to provide that if the landlords don’t accept the rent fees, it (rent) should be taken and kept at the sub-county. All this suffering is because of not following what was put in the law,” Museveni directed.
The government’s efforts to secure land for bibanja holders aim to ensure that tenants can live peacefully without fear of eviction. This initiative reflects the government’s commitment to resolving long-standing land disputes in Buganda and other regions.
