Bibanja owners petition Museveni
Jul 13, 2008
A GROUP of tenants in Gombe sub-county, Wakiso district have appealed to President Yoweri Museveni to halt the eviction of tenants before the land amendment bill is passed.
By Joyce Namutebi
A GROUP of tenants in Gombe sub-county, Wakiso district have appealed to President Yoweri Museveni to halt the eviction of tenants before the land amendment bill is passed.
The tenants, under the Jagala Kavule Bibanja Holders Association, also called for the abolition of busuulu (ground rent), saying most of them had bought their bibanja (land).
The President launched the association at Gombe sub-county headquarters on Saturday.
In their memorandum presented to the President by their secretary, Dickson Kayanja, the tenants further asked the Government to pay off landlords like it did in Kibaale district.
In 2002, the Government released over sh1b under the Land Fund to buy land from willing registered Buganda absentee land owners in Kibaale so that it could be passed onto sitting tenants.
Kayanja said the tenants were alarmed by the rampant evictions going on in the country and appealed for the President’s urgent intervention.
“We ask you to put an injunction immediately halting illegal eviction of tenants,†he said.
The President directed the Inspector General of Police, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, to set up a special unit to protect tenants from eviction.
In a follow-up statement from State House, Museveni announced that the Government was setting up a radio station to educate the masses on the advantages of the land Bill.
Museveni also constituted a Presidential task Force, whose main duty is to sensitise the grassroots on the Bill.
He assured bibanja holders and landlords that the Bill was friendly to all and would soon be passed into law.
The President, according to the statement, said in a situation where no mutual agreement is reached between a landlord and a tenant, a neutral body will arbitrate.
“He made it clear that it is the duty of the Government to protect both the landlords and bibanja holders to ensure a harmonious relationship,†said the press release.
Present at the Saturday function was state minister for Luweero Triangle, Nyombi Thembo, MPs Rose Namayanja, James Kakooza and Vincent Nyanzi. Others were RDC Abasi Seguya and Wakiso district chief Ian Kyeyune.
The tenants’ secretary Kayanja said they support the Bill and urged the President to ensure that it is passed quickly.
The Bill’s objective is to amend the Land Act to enhance the security of occupancy of lawful and bona fide occupants on registered land.
It is currently being scrutinised jointly by the legal and physical infrastructure committees of Parliament.
Kayanja pointed out that should the busuulu be maintained, it should be simply for the recognition of the landlord and not for commercial purposes.
The tenants, he said, proposed that the rent be set by the Government or the districts and be payable at the sub-county offices since most of them do not know where some of the landlords reside. Some landlords, he added, do not want to take the rent.
Kayanja accused some RDCs and the Police of conniving with landlords to evict tenants.
The tenants appealed to the Government to work with the Buganda government. They also said tenant associations should be set up countrywide.
The Inspector General of Police yesterday said the presidential directive would be implemented immediately.
“We are going to expand the already existing Land Title Fraud Unit set up sometime back to investigate conflicts at the request of the Ministry of Lands. In this unit, which will be a preventive arm, we shall include detectives, lawyers and uniformed policemen,†said Kayihura in an interview with The New Vision.
He added that through community policing, the Police would set up hotlines and specific desks to assist victims of land disputes.
Kayihura confirmed that cases of unlawful evictions were rampant in the country, especially in situations where new landowners get land titles and work out express orders for eviction.
He said whereas courts usually demand the presence of the Police in such cases, he had since given orders that no officer should take part in land disputes unless they are cleared by the legal department of the force.
A GROUP of tenants in Gombe sub-county, Wakiso district have appealed to President Yoweri Museveni to halt the eviction of tenants before the land amendment bill is passed.
The tenants, under the Jagala Kavule Bibanja Holders Association, also called for the abolition of busuulu (ground rent), saying most of them had bought their bibanja (land).
The President launched the association at Gombe sub-county headquarters on Saturday.
In their memorandum presented to the President by their secretary, Dickson Kayanja, the tenants further asked the Government to pay off landlords like it did in Kibaale district.
In 2002, the Government released over sh1b under the Land Fund to buy land from willing registered Buganda absentee land owners in Kibaale so that it could be passed onto sitting tenants.
Kayanja said the tenants were alarmed by the rampant evictions going on in the country and appealed for the President’s urgent intervention.
“We ask you to put an injunction immediately halting illegal eviction of tenants,†he said.
The President directed the Inspector General of Police, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, to set up a special unit to protect tenants from eviction.
In a follow-up statement from State House, Museveni announced that the Government was setting up a radio station to educate the masses on the advantages of the land Bill.
Museveni also constituted a Presidential task Force, whose main duty is to sensitise the grassroots on the Bill.
He assured bibanja holders and landlords that the Bill was friendly to all and would soon be passed into law.
The President, according to the statement, said in a situation where no mutual agreement is reached between a landlord and a tenant, a neutral body will arbitrate.
“He made it clear that it is the duty of the Government to protect both the landlords and bibanja holders to ensure a harmonious relationship,†said the press release.
Present at the Saturday function was state minister for Luweero Triangle, Nyombi Thembo, MPs Rose Namayanja, James Kakooza and Vincent Nyanzi. Others were RDC Abasi Seguya and Wakiso district chief Ian Kyeyune.
The tenants’ secretary Kayanja said they support the Bill and urged the President to ensure that it is passed quickly.
The Bill’s objective is to amend the Land Act to enhance the security of occupancy of lawful and bona fide occupants on registered land.
It is currently being scrutinised jointly by the legal and physical infrastructure committees of Parliament.
Kayanja pointed out that should the busuulu be maintained, it should be simply for the recognition of the landlord and not for commercial purposes.
The tenants, he said, proposed that the rent be set by the Government or the districts and be payable at the sub-county offices since most of them do not know where some of the landlords reside. Some landlords, he added, do not want to take the rent.
Kayanja accused some RDCs and the Police of conniving with landlords to evict tenants.
The tenants appealed to the Government to work with the Buganda government. They also said tenant associations should be set up countrywide.
The Inspector General of Police yesterday said the presidential directive would be implemented immediately.
“We are going to expand the already existing Land Title Fraud Unit set up sometime back to investigate conflicts at the request of the Ministry of Lands. In this unit, which will be a preventive arm, we shall include detectives, lawyers and uniformed policemen,†said Kayihura in an interview with The New Vision.
He added that through community policing, the Police would set up hotlines and specific desks to assist victims of land disputes.
Kayihura confirmed that cases of unlawful evictions were rampant in the country, especially in situations where new landowners get land titles and work out express orders for eviction.
He said whereas courts usually demand the presence of the Police in such cases, he had since given orders that no officer should take part in land disputes unless they are cleared by the legal department of the force.