No land grabbing in Kibaale, says Otafire
Nov 17, 2003
Minister for lands and environment Col Kahinda Otafire has said land held by absentee Baganda landlords in Kibaale will not be forcefully bought from them by the Government in the land reform programme.
By John Odyek and Milton Olupot
Minister for lands and environment Col Kahinda Otafire has said land held by absentee Baganda landlords in Kibaale will not be forcefully bought from them by the Government in the land reform programme.
He told Parliament on Wednesday that when land is acquired from the landlords it would be issued out to bonafide occupants.
He said the land would not only be given to the Banyoro in Kibaale. “The principle we are to follow will be that of willing buyer and willing seller. After that, we shall come to Parliament,†he said.
He said there were 3,000 unclaimed land titles in Kibaale belonging to absentee landlords.
The British colonial government in the 1900s used the Buganda kingdom to defeat Bunyoro kingdom and rewarded Baganda with land in Bunyoro.
However, during the Bunyoro uprising, many Baganda abandoned the land but kept collecting rent from occupants.
Otafire said the Government had started buying land from absentee landlords and had set aside sh3.5b for that purpose. The land reform programme requires about sh20b.
Otafire was responding to a question by Dr Kasirivu Atwoki (Bugangaizi) who said the Government had been mandated to set up the land fund as a mechanism to solve the historic Kibaale land problem.
He queried to what extent the land fund had been operationalised.
Ignatius Besisira (Buyaga) said they were concerned about the speed at which the land problem was being solved. He said 50% of the land in Kibaale is Mailo land owned by absentee landlords. The land fund was created by the Land Act of 1998.
Minister for lands and environment Col Kahinda Otafire has said land held by absentee Baganda landlords in Kibaale will not be forcefully bought from them by the Government in the land reform programme.
He told Parliament on Wednesday that when land is acquired from the landlords it would be issued out to bonafide occupants.
He said the land would not only be given to the Banyoro in Kibaale. “The principle we are to follow will be that of willing buyer and willing seller. After that, we shall come to Parliament,†he said.
He said there were 3,000 unclaimed land titles in Kibaale belonging to absentee landlords.
The British colonial government in the 1900s used the Buganda kingdom to defeat Bunyoro kingdom and rewarded Baganda with land in Bunyoro.
However, during the Bunyoro uprising, many Baganda abandoned the land but kept collecting rent from occupants.
Otafire said the Government had started buying land from absentee landlords and had set aside sh3.5b for that purpose. The land reform programme requires about sh20b.
Otafire was responding to a question by Dr Kasirivu Atwoki (Bugangaizi) who said the Government had been mandated to set up the land fund as a mechanism to solve the historic Kibaale land problem.
He queried to what extent the land fund had been operationalised.
Ignatius Besisira (Buyaga) said they were concerned about the speed at which the land problem was being solved. He said 50% of the land in Kibaale is Mailo land owned by absentee landlords. The land fund was created by the Land Act of 1998.