By Alfred Wasike

IN a bid to stem the violence from unfair evictions of tenants by landlords, the Government yesterday appealed to religious leaders to educate their congregations about the proposed Land (Amendment) Bill, 2007.

Premier Apolo Nsibambi said more than 50,000 people have been evicted from their land in the last two years in Kampala, Wakiso, Mpigi, Mityana, Mubende, Mukono, Kayunga, Kyenjojo, Butaleja and Mayuge districts.

The leaders present included Emmanuel Cardinal Wamala, Kampala Archbishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, Church of Uganda Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi, Mufti Sheikh Shaban Mubajje, Bishop Samuel Balaggade (Namirembe), Bishop John Baptist Odama (Gulu) and Bishop Paul Bakyenga (Mbarara).

Born-Again Christian churches were represented by Alex Mitala, Martin Sempa and Robert Kayanja, among others.

Nsibambi explained that the main objective of the Bill was to amend the Land Act to improve the security of occupancy on registered and customary land to address illegal evictions.

â€œThe evictions are sometimes carried out at night in a brutal and secret manner,â€ he told the clerics during the meeting at Statistics House in Kampala

â€œSo, religious institutions are also landlords like myself. I am happy to note that the Chief Justice was reported in yesterdayâ€™s The New Vision (January 22, 2008) as backing the proposed land reforms, saying they will strengthen the relationship between tenants and landlords,â€ Nsibambi pointed out, triggering laughter.

He said the amendments would ensure that tenants on registered land can only be evicted by court orders and only on the ground of non-payment of the nominal ground rent. He noted that out of a population of about one million people, the British Protectorate government allocated land to only 3,700 people, leaving the rest landless.

He said the colonial government was convinced that the local people were catered for by the mailo-land owners.

The new law also criminalises any person who evicts or aids in evicting tenants without court orders. The penalty is imprisonment not exceeding seven years.

Nsibambi warned that the law would punish tenants who do not give their landlords priority when they want to sell their occupancy rights.

â€œIn the proposed amendments, such a tenant will be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding sh1,920,000 or imprisonment not exceeding four years or both.â€

The fine was increased from the original sh500,000.

After the day-long closed meeting, state minister for lands Atwooki Kasirivu told journalists that: â€œThe religious leaders appreciated the invitation by Government for this interface. They recommended that there should be regular meetings to discuss issues of national importance.â€

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