The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kayunga, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Kayunga district leaders are seeking a special fund to compensate landlords and put an end to land disputes in the area. The unending land disputes in the district have oftentimes resulted in injuries and loss of life.
A baseline survey on land conflicts carried out in the month of April 2021 in sub-counties of Bbaale, Busaana, Kayonza, Kitimbwa and Kangulumira shows that four out of ten households are involved in land conflicts whereas six out of 10 witness land conflicts at various villages. The survey by Shed, an organisation involved in solving land wrangles indicates that widowed women and single mothers are disadvantaged, with many of them facing delayed and financial incapacity to pursue justice.
To cement the findings, Immaculate Namata, a resident at Kayunga notes that most conflicts are sparked off by men who privately engage in land deals without the knowledge of their wives, while others have passed on, leaving no documentation for the wives and children.
Kayunga Resident District Commissioner-RDC, Elijah Madoi says that about 30 people approach his office on a monthly basis seeking help and counsel on land matters, but warns that the challenges will continue unless the government sets up a special fund to buy off titles on land housing a big population.
Most of the land contestations in Kayunga involve persons on freehold land that has been sold to developers intending to set up projects such as sugarcane plantations and dairy farms without giving sitting tenants a chance to buy off their portions.
Kayunga senior land surveyor Vincent Ahimbisibwe notes that very few tenants in the district can afford to survey their land and process titles or financially settle with landlords on the required fees. Processing a title on land at Kayunga requires about six million Shillings.
“Authorities also need to deal with local leaders who knowingly append the same signatures on different agreements, selling land to different persons brought to them by the seller. At our side, the Ministry of Lands built a strong system that rejects duplication of titles but the challenge here is that real owners lack the capacity to register in time,” Ahimbisibwe notes.
The Kayunga Chief Magistrate Sarah Tumusiime Balungi says among the cases that come up for hearing, some of them can be mediated between the two aggrieved parties to arrive at a consent agreement to reduce case backlog at court. Balungi appeals to residents to get used to consulting the courts for guidance on how to swiftly handle the various land conflicts in their communities.
Meanwhile, Kayunga District Chairperson Ffefeka Sserubogo notes that the government has for so long ignored calls for a mechanism to solve land issues in Kayunga. He notes that many times, solutions have been generated by politicians with hidden interests which causes violence.
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