Five arrested over evicting Catholic Church priest

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The State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU), in collaboration with the Police, has arrested five individuals in connection with the unlawful eviction of a Catholic priest from disputed land in Ntinzi Village, located in the Nkozi sub-county of Mpigi district.

The arrests were carried out on February 15, 2025, according to a statement shared today. SHACU has identified the suspects as Godfrey Sande, Daniel Kyebale (the manager), Eric Lukyamuzi, Geoffrey Magawuli, and Paul Odida, who claims to be the rightful owner of the titled land.

(Courtesy)

(Courtesy)

(Courtesy)

“Odida alleges ownership of a total of 100 acres. However, he unlawfully instructed the four suspects to forcibly occupy a contested five-acre portion of the land, which is currently in dispute with the Catholic priest Fr Edward Bwanika, a kibanja (land tenure) holder,” SHACU said.

SHACU noted that “reports indicate that on the disputed land, the suspects maliciously destroyed Father Bwanika’s crops, which included valuable coffee and banana plantations, causing significant damage to his livelihood. The priest has been a longstanding tenant of the land, and this act has raised serious concerns regarding property rights and the protection of vulnerable individuals.”

SHACU explained that upon receiving a complaint about the situation, they swiftly coordinated with the territorial police to conduct an operation at the site.

“The authorities arrested the five suspects while they were still occupying the land in question. Ongoing investigations are focusing on the details of the incident, with the suspects facing potential charges including forcible entry and malicious damage to property,” SHACU stated.

By press time, the suspects were still in detention at Mpigi police station awaiting their arraignment in court.

Museveni stand on Bibanja holders

On June 9, 2024, President Yoweri Museveni directed landlords to stop illegal evictions of Bibanja holders. He also ordered that whoever has excessive nominal rent fees (obusuulu) return them to the bibanja holders immediately or risk being arrested.

“The landlords who have been charging more than the agreed busuulu fees by the district must return it back, and if they try to evict our people, we shall arrest them. You must pay back all the money you have taken from these people, and the evictions are illegal,” Museveni said.

Speaking at the 35th Heroes’ Day celebrations held at Mpenja Church of Uganda Primary School playgrounds, Mpenja sub-county, Gomba District, under the theme Hail Our Heroes: A Secure Uganda Is Now Reality, the President said the issue of the Landlords and bibanja holders was resolved in the Constituent Assembly (CA) and also in the Land Act of 1998.

“We said a landlord has no power to evict a kibanja person, especially the one who was on that plot of land (Kibanja) by 1983. The only thing was to provide some nominal rent (busuulu), and that was to be fixed by the district land boards. The landlords must accept what we agreed in 1995 because Idi Amin had actually abolished mailo land. Still, we restored ownership to allow a win-win situation, but these landlords don’t listen to the NRM, and they think it’s a joke,” the President emphasised.

It should be remembered that in 1995, a new constitution was established, clarifying land rights and stating that land in Uganda belonged to its people and reinstating private land ownership. President Museveni was, however, dismayed to learn that landlords have decided to ignore the agreed-upon nominal fees paid by the bibanja holders on their land and are going ahead to evict them.

According to Gomba District LC5 chairperson, Geoffrey Kiviiri, the approved nominal fees paid to the landlords is sh10,000 per year, but landlords have refused such payments, leading to the increasing land wrangles in the area. The President said new policies will be put in place to safeguard this.

Landlords on bibanja holders

“Maybe what we have to resolve in the NRM parliamentary caucus is to provide that if the landlords don’t accept the rent fees, it (rent) should be taken and kept at the sub-county. All this suffering is not following what was put in the law,” Museveni directed.

He further asked the Resident District Commissioner, RDC for Gomba, Harriet Nakamya, to record all those under threat of eviction due to the nominal fees and see how to resolve the matter with their landlords.

At the same ceremony, the lands minister Judith Nabakooba gave out land titles to 446 people of Kanoni, Gomba, courtesy of the government through the Land Fund.