The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Buganda’s Minister of Information and Protocol Noah Kiyimba has warned Bobi Wine to restrain his relatives from threatening Kingdom employees after a Kaazi-Busabala land dispute ended with the leading Ugandan musician’s property being razed to the ground.
Musician, activist and humanitarian Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine was outraged by Friday’s demolition of part of his developments at Busabala One Love Beach.
“It is an injustice by my own to their own, but I have to face it and know that will pass. I will not pursue it any longer,” Bobi Wine told NTV.
According to a statement from Kiyimba, who is also the Buganda Kingdom spokesman, Bobi Wine was informed in writing from 2011 to March 2017 regarding this land and requests to meet him and solve the issue amicably fell on deaf ears.
“It is, therefore, surprising that Bobi Wine is now using the media to put the good name of the Kingdom in disrepute when it is him who occupied the land illegally and forcefully,” Kiyimba said.
Kiyimba revealed that on March 27, 2017, an organ of Buganda Kingdom Nkuluze informed the head of Police at Kaazi-Busabala that they will take possession of this land on March 29, 2017 to enable the land lord use his land at his discretion. He said Bobi Wine was duly informed and got a copy of the letter but didn’t contact Nkuluze upon receiving this letter.
“Some members of Bobi Wine’s family have made phone calls threatening Kingdom employees regarding this issue. We advise Bobi Wine to restrain his family members from making such threats,” Kiyimba said in his statement posted on social media.
What happened on Friday
Part of Bobi Wine’s developments at Busabala One Love Beach were razed to the ground in a local land dispute threatening to draw in the Buganda Land Board.
According to Kibiri Police OC ASP John Vuchiri who was at the scene, he only allowed the disputed potion of land to be graded after he got assurances from a delegation from the Kabaka’s office at Mengo that Bobi Wine had been given sufficient notice.
Bobi Wine was outraged, saying, “It is very unfair. I bought that land….I paid all the people who were on the land and have been developing it for the past five years. Today I saw a grader destroying all my developments without notice.”
A communications expert who works closely with Buganda Kingdom officials reacted to Bobi Wine’s assertions by saying the musician had attempted to illegally occupy and annex the disputed land.
“There is a rumour that Bobi Wine’s beach was demolished yesterday. That isn’t true,” said Denis Jjuuko in a post on facebook.
“What was demolished was an adjacent piece of land to Bobi Wine’s beach which Bobi Wine had tried to forcefully and illegally occupy and annex to his beach. Bobi had been warned several times not to plant grass and trees beyond his official beach but he refused. This particular piece of land was even blocking access to other people’s land.”
Jjuuko added that “the land lord had the right to stop Bobi Wine’s impunity and ensure that other people who own land in that area have access. There is no money that Bobi Wine paid for this part of land he was illegally occupying. However, Bobi Wine can go to court and seek redress.”
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