Buganda land board financials queried

Male Mabirizi

Court is on May 9, scheduled to hear an application for an order to produce land titles, bank statements, account details, and other financial records in the names of Buganda Land Board (BLB).

On April 24, Justice Patricia Basaza-Wasswa, set the date in the case where a lawyer Male Mabirizi sued Kabaka, querying the Buganda official mailo land occupants registration rationale.

Mabirizi and the Kabaka's lawyers Isaac Mpanga and Cyrus Baguma,were at the civil division of the High Court in Kampala, to chart the roadmap of the case.

The judge and the lawyers unanimously, agreed on the hearing of several applications, before the main case is heard.

Mabirizi wants court to compel those in possession of the documents, to produce them in court, to enable court reach an informed verdict.

Main case at glance

The case arose on August 8 2016, with Mabirizi seeking a pronouncement that compulsory registration of people living on land registered in the Kabaka's name at a sh600,000 fee, is illegal.

Mabirizi contends that the Kabaka is only a trustee of the official mailo land. He wants court to denounce the 10% charge levied by BLB on the sale value of land.

But the Kabaka has dismissed Mabirizi's claims, stating that registration is voluntary.

The response is contained in the affidavit of Bashir Kizito, the head of Physical Planning and Survey at BLB.

Kizito contends that Kabaka has never deprived anybody of a right to own property, and does not intend to do so.

He explains the 10% charge, saying it is consented to as transfer fee under Section 34 of Uganda's Land Act.