Kaazi land saga deepens, minister orders Buganda Land Board’s deregistration

The attorney general of Buganda, Christopher Bwanika, has debunked the declarations of lands state minister Dr Sam Mayanja that the land comprised in Block 273, Plot 5 at Kaazi in Wakiso district belongs to the estate of Sir Daudi Chwa II.

Last week, on March 5, Mayanja issued a report regarding the land, stating that it belonged to the estate of Sir Daudi Chwa II and not the official mailo owned by Buganda Kingdom.

Mayanja said the land was illegally registered in the names of the Kabaka, and he accordingly directed the commissioner of land registration to cancel the Kabaka’s name and replace it with the administrator of the estate of Chwa II.

“If this land didn’t belong to Chwa II, it wouldn’t have been registered in his name because we already had a law in regard to registration of public land/official mailo land,” Mayanja said.

However, citing section 2 of the Traditional Rulers (Restitution of Assets and Properties) Act, Bwanika on March 12, 2025, stated that the land in question is legally vested in the Kabaka and implored the public to ignore Mayanja’s declarations over the land, saying they are unfounded.

“We urge the public to disregard any misleading claims suggesting that the land does not belong to the Kabaka,” Bwanika told the media at Bulange-Mengo, the headquarters of Buganda Kingdom in Kampala.

Buganda agreement

He explained that the land in question is part of the 350 acres that were allotted to the Kabaka under the 1900 Buganda Agreement and that the corresponding land title was created on June 22, 1923. He said the land title was initially registered under Final Copy (FC 18454) and later converted into the Mailo Register Volume (MRV) 269 Folio 25.

“At the inception of the block and plot system of the mailo registration, the land was registered in the names of H.H Chwa II in his official capacity as then Kabaka of Buganda and it later passed on to Edward Muteesa II and is now held by Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, the reigning king of Buganda,” Bwanika noted.

Bwanika said in 1948, Chwa II, as the Kabaka of Buganda, consequently leased the land in question to the Uganda Scouts Association under the leadership of Private Bag for a term of 49 years counting from July 1, 1948.

“The lease was to be used strictly for scouting and camping purposes and prohibited the Scouts Association from subdividing or subleasing the land. This lease was registered under instrument number 81336 in the leasehold register volume LRV 236 Folio 7,” Bwanika said.

To justify his argument, Bwanika noted that the land in question was among the properties of the kingdom that were vested in the Uganda Land Commission (ULC) under Article 108 of the 1967 Constitution following the abolition of kingdoms.

He noted that the ULC and the scouts association illegally created various subleases without the consent of the Kabaka, the registered proprietor and thus Buganda Land Board (BLB) an entity that manages the kingdom’s land successfully petitioned the commissioner for land registration who subsequently cancelled the illegal lease titles that had been created over the land.

Bwanika said while it is true that Chwa II owned land in his personal capacity, such land was not registered as “H.H (His Highness). Chwa II” but rather as “Daudi Chwa II” because the title “H.H” is exclusive to the reigning Kabaka.

Bwanika said Mayanja’s declarations in regard to the land amount to contempt of court because the court has since declared the Kabaka as the rightful owner of the land.

“In 2020, the Kabaka won a court case against Prince Kalemera and others who had falsely claimed ownership of the land. As confirmed by the court, it is, therefore, an undisputed fact that the land rightfully belongs to the Kabaka,” Bwanika said.

Accounts frozen

Following Mayanja’s decalarations, the bank accounts through which the Government has been passing money for the scouts were this week frozen as different associations battle over the administration of scouting in the country.

“We wrote to the banks and attached the directive by Mayanja who declared Uganda Scouts Association Limited (USAL) illegal and called for USBA, a government statutory body, to be reinstated. The account in Tropical Bank where government deposits scouts’ funds has been frozen,” Canon Matson Patrick Barugahare, one of the trustees of the UBSA, said.

Barugahare added that they have also written to ABSA and Stanbic banks to also have the two accounts frozen.

According to Barugahare, the Government, through the education ministry, commits an average of sh500m for scouting activities every financial year.

“Every quarter, scouting gets sh125m from the Government to do scouts’ work in the country. We feared that after the declaration of USAL as illegal by government, some people would rush to withdraw money, but we have managed to arrest the situation,” he said.

Speaking after a meeting with the Rev. Duncans Mugumya, the commissioner for sports in the education ministry, where scouting belongs, Barugahare said they are finalising processes to reinstate the administration of UBSA back at Kaazi.

“Our legal team is finalising with legal processes and we have notified security agencies and anytime we will be back at Kaazi,” he said.

Mayanja’s declarations

Citing a letter attributed to Chwa II, Mayanja said Chwa II donated 100 acres of land in question to the scouts in perpetuity and thus directed the commissioner land registration to register them in the names of Uganda Scouts Boys Association (USBA) and Girls Guide Association of Uganda (GGAU), a statutory entity.

Mayanja said the Traditional Rulers (Restitution of Assets and Properties) Act cannot be a basis for acquisition of the land in question by the Buganda Kingdom.

Mayanja also ordered the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) to de-register Buganda Land Board, saying it is an illegal entity.

Commenting on the matter, Denis Bugaya, the BLB spokesperson, said they have finalised the process of commencing legal proceedings against Mayanja, saying they believe they have an actionable case against him in light of his Mayanja declarations.

However, some residents expressed concern with the minister’s declaration, arguing that it does not only threaten their interests in the land as lawful occupants, but also contradicts a 2020 ruling of Dr Flavian Zeija (Deputy Chief Justice designate) in which he declared the Kabaka as lawful owner of the land in question.

Edward Kimera mentioned that they have been paying busuulu (land rent) to the Buganda Land Board as it has always been understood that the land belongs to the Kabaka.

He expressed concern about potential eviction from their bibanja (landholdings) as has happened in areas where the land belongs to individual landlords.

“The minister’s statement leaves us in fear and we oppose it unless officials from Mengo provide clarification.

We will continue paying busuulu to the Buganda Land Board.

However, we urge Mengo to address this matter,” Kimera said.