The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Kyambogo University land belongs to Buganda Kingdom, the Uganda Land Commission- ULC chairperson, Beatrice Byenkya Nyakaisiki has told parliament. She disclosed this while appearing before the Physical Infrastructure committee of parliament on Tuesday to present a statement on the land occupied by Kyambogo University.
The land is at the center of dispute between Buganda Kingdom, Kampala District Land Board and the Ministry of Education and Sports. Both Kyambogo University and Buganda Kingdom claim ownership of about 407 acres, hosting the main campus in Banda, Kampala.
Ministry of Education is claiming 10 acres and Kampala District Land Board (KDLB) 60 acres. Last month, the Kyambogo University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Elly Katunguka said that the University has a freehold title of 137.5 hectares of land that they acquired from Uganda Land Commission. He explained that it is only 60 hectares of land that is under contention.
On the other hand, Buganda Kingdom argued that the Kabaka of Buganda owns part of the land, having inherited it from his grandfather Christopher Kisosonkole. In 2019, the Kabaka wrote to the President over the land given to Kyambogo. The President then directed Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda to constitute a committee to investigate the matter and consider compensation or buying off the land.
Appearing before the committee, Byenkya explained that the land occupied by Kyambogo University belongs to the Buganda Kingdom royal family, adding that it was erroneously allocated to the university. She says that it was an error for ULC to issue a freehold title yet the land belongs to Buganda Kingdom, which is mailo land.
David Balondemu, the Kampala District Land Board Chairperson told the committee that the land claimed by Buganda Kingdom is not part of the land being contested by the Kampala District Land Board. Balondemu said that they are waiting for the final report from the joint survey that was conducted recently.
Recently, Balondemu revealed that in 2017, cabinet resolved that the National Environmental Management Authority-NEMA degazettes the catchment area, which is part of the land that Kyambogo University is claiming. He said the land was degazetted and that government is in the process of repossessing it.
Balondemu says that they need to resolve the dispute such that Kampala Capital City Authority-KCCA can continue with its Physical Development Plan 2013-2023.
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