Govt pledges to pay Buganda for occupied land, properties

KAMPALA - The Government has pledged to settle its longstanding debt owed to the Buganda Kingdom in unpaid rent for land and properties it continues to occupy across the region. 

“There are things which we do not want to discuss here. But I can assure you, we are handling the matter. I will check on how many files have been transferred and what has not been transferred.

“What I can assure my colleagues from Buganda, such as myself, is that this matter is being handled. Even the figure you are quoting that has been verified is not complete. So, the process is ongoing and we are handling this matter,” the Attorney General, Kiwanuka Kiryowa, told Parliament last week. 

Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka gave the assurance in Parliament on last Wednesday while responding to concerns raised by the Leader of the Opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi. 

The Nakawa West MP accused the Government of normalising a culture of occupying vital strategic assets without compensating landlords. He said this undermines constitutional provisions and frustrates the cultural institution’s development drive.

Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka

“The kingdom is engaged in several projects such as building schools, hospitals, universities and tertiary institutions. Recently, a hospital was opened in commemoration of the Kabaka’s 70th birthday. The kingdom also recently distributed tractors to all the 18 counties of Buganda. When Government withholds this money, it frustrates these development-oriented projects,” Ssenyonyi argued.
 
He said 12 years ago, when Government returned several properties to Buganda, it was expected to remit rent for those it continued to occupy. 

Alternatively, he said, it should have compulsorily acquired these properties under Article 26. 

He went on to list several installations still occupied by the Government, including Makindye Military Barracks, Makindye Court Martial, Kigo Prisons, Katabi and Bukakata Air Force School land, over 70 prisons originally built by the kingdom, courts of judicature, local government offices and headquarters, land at Mbuya Barracks and tracts used for electricity transmission lines. 

“The debt that Government owes to Buganda Kingdom through these and other properties is sh529.7b. However, the Chief Government Valuer has so far verified sh160b of this. But even this sh160b has not been paid to date, despite numerous reminders,” Ssenyonyi said.

Leader of Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi

AG, LOP clash 

However, the Attorney General fired back, asserting that he was better informed on the matter than the Leader of the Opposition. 

“I am fully seized with this matter because I chair that committee personally. Unless I hear from the people you speak of — whom I engage with regularly on these issues — I would rather you leave that to us, because I have not received any complaint from the kingdom regarding the way I am handling this matter,” Kiryowa responded. 

In reply, Ssenyonyi described the Attorney General’s attitude as condescending, adding that as a leader, he had every right to raise the issue.

Deputy Speaker Intervenes 

Interjecting, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, urged both parties to engage in dialogue, citing the sensitivity of the matter at hand.