Seize idle land, says Tinyefuza
Jun 24, 2009
The coordinator of the security services, Gen. David Tinyefuza, stunned Parliament yesterday when he called for radical land reforms and criticised the country’s laxity on immigration rules.
By Joyce Namutebi
The coordinator of the security services, Gen. David Tinyefuza, stunned Parliament yesterday when he called for radical land reforms and criticised the country’s laxity on immigration rules.
Tinyefuza, who is also a senior presidential adviser, said there should be a limit to the size of land individuals can acquire. He also proposed that idle land be seized and given to others to develop.
“If you do not use your land you should lose it. People should be stopped from the primitive acquisition of huge chunks of land,†Tinyefuza told the parliamentary select committee on pastoralists.
He noted that there should be no slums in Uganda simply because some people were holding on to unused land.
Land reform was one of the interventions needed to deal with the problem of pastoralists in the country, said Tinyefuza, who had been invited to the committee as an expert.
He denounced the on-going land grabbing whereby insensitive people take advantage of the lax legal regime to acquire big chunks. “There is a lacuna which people are taking advantage of. There is no ceiling to land acquisition. It does not matter whether you have empty land so long as you have a title,†he said, warning that this is a recipe for disaster.
The general also argued that industrialisation was important in ending land quarrels. “People must get something else to earn a livelihood from. We can not sustain the population growth when we are a peasant society.â€
Tinyefuza also said there was need to regulate cross-border immigration to solve the land problem.
Although he commended Uganda for spearheading the pan-African spirit, he noted that the country has a one-sided immigration policy, allowing people from neighbouring countries to stream in without restrictions. “Uganda is not elastic,†he warned.
He noted that during the elections in neighbouring Congo, part of Hoima became deserted as people went back to vote.
Almost two thirds of Hoima district is occupied by immigrants, he said, adding that in Bulisa, where there is oil prospecting, there are no Banyoro but Alurs of Congo.
He attributed the problem of illegal immigrants to corruption by immigration officials and political leaders.
Ugandans are not allowed to just cross into other countries such as Congo or South Sudan, he said, pointing out that there had been a crackdown on Ugandans in northern Tanzania.
On armed pastoralists, Tinyefuza called for the immediate arrest of anybody holding an unauthorised firearm.
The special committee, chaired by Peter Ochieng (NRM), was set up to establish the origin of the pastoralist crisis and find a long lasting solution to the problem.
Some MPs said during their investigations, Tinyefuza was named as one of the people behind the Balaalo problem.
But the general denied acquiring land in Kiboga. He said the late Fred Rwigyema and Rwandan president Paul Kagame, had acquired land in Kiboga but abandoned it.
He attributed the pastoralist crisis to lack of grazing land, the growth of a wealthy middle class, indiscipline, population growth and the new-found freedom prevailing in the country.
On the Bulisa herdsmen, he informed the committee that according to investigations, some of them were not Ugandans while others were dividing their herds to establish kraals in other areas. He said the latter group will be sent back to their original kraals.
“Those who claim to have legally bought land are being identified and where their claims can be proved, they will be compensated.â€
The coordinator of the security services, Gen. David Tinyefuza, stunned Parliament yesterday when he called for radical land reforms and criticised the country’s laxity on immigration rules.
Tinyefuza, who is also a senior presidential adviser, said there should be a limit to the size of land individuals can acquire. He also proposed that idle land be seized and given to others to develop.
“If you do not use your land you should lose it. People should be stopped from the primitive acquisition of huge chunks of land,†Tinyefuza told the parliamentary select committee on pastoralists.
He noted that there should be no slums in Uganda simply because some people were holding on to unused land.
Land reform was one of the interventions needed to deal with the problem of pastoralists in the country, said Tinyefuza, who had been invited to the committee as an expert.
He denounced the on-going land grabbing whereby insensitive people take advantage of the lax legal regime to acquire big chunks. “There is a lacuna which people are taking advantage of. There is no ceiling to land acquisition. It does not matter whether you have empty land so long as you have a title,†he said, warning that this is a recipe for disaster.
The general also argued that industrialisation was important in ending land quarrels. “People must get something else to earn a livelihood from. We can not sustain the population growth when we are a peasant society.â€
Tinyefuza also said there was need to regulate cross-border immigration to solve the land problem.
Although he commended Uganda for spearheading the pan-African spirit, he noted that the country has a one-sided immigration policy, allowing people from neighbouring countries to stream in without restrictions. “Uganda is not elastic,†he warned.
He noted that during the elections in neighbouring Congo, part of Hoima became deserted as people went back to vote.
Almost two thirds of Hoima district is occupied by immigrants, he said, adding that in Bulisa, where there is oil prospecting, there are no Banyoro but Alurs of Congo.
He attributed the problem of illegal immigrants to corruption by immigration officials and political leaders.
Ugandans are not allowed to just cross into other countries such as Congo or South Sudan, he said, pointing out that there had been a crackdown on Ugandans in northern Tanzania.
On armed pastoralists, Tinyefuza called for the immediate arrest of anybody holding an unauthorised firearm.
The special committee, chaired by Peter Ochieng (NRM), was set up to establish the origin of the pastoralist crisis and find a long lasting solution to the problem.
Some MPs said during their investigations, Tinyefuza was named as one of the people behind the Balaalo problem.
But the general denied acquiring land in Kiboga. He said the late Fred Rwigyema and Rwandan president Paul Kagame, had acquired land in Kiboga but abandoned it.
He attributed the pastoralist crisis to lack of grazing land, the growth of a wealthy middle class, indiscipline, population growth and the new-found freedom prevailing in the country.
On the Bulisa herdsmen, he informed the committee that according to investigations, some of them were not Ugandans while others were dividing their herds to establish kraals in other areas. He said the latter group will be sent back to their original kraals.
“Those who claim to have legally bought land are being identified and where their claims can be proved, they will be compensated.â€