Mengo doesn’t own the 9000sq miles
Mar 05, 2008
THE debate on the disputed 9,000sq miles of land rages on. The issue is not the size of the land (9,000 or 5,949sq miles) but rather who owns it. Under the 1900 agreement between the colonial government and Mengo, Buganda was estimated to be 19,600sq miles in size.
THE debate on the disputed 9,000sq miles of land rages on. The issue is not the size of the land (9,000 or 5,949sq miles) but rather who owns it. Under the 1900 agreement between the colonial government and Mengo, Buganda was estimated to be 19,600sq miles in size.
This land area was divided and put under different authorities. For example, 1,500sq miles was declared forests and put under the Government; 350sq miles became Kabaka’s private land; and 8,000sq miles went to chiefs and private landlords. Others who got included the Namasole, princes, princesses and religious groups.
Another 9,000sq miles were declared “waste and uncultivated land to be vested in Her Majesty’s Government.†This was also called Crown Land. It had no private owners. It was public land to be controlled by the colonial government.
When colonialists left in 1962, the land was put under the Buganda Kingdom, which at the time was a local government like the districts of today, to continue controlling it as public land on behalf of all Ugandans. The kingdom administered the land through the Buganda Land Board – the equivalent of district land boards of today.
After abolition of kingdoms in 1967, all pubic land including the 9,000sq miles was put under the Uganda Land Commission. Thus, the old Buganda Land Board expired. The land went to district land boards under the decentralisation policy. Districts took over from the Uganda Land Commission.
The Buganda Land Board of today followed restoration of kingdoms in 1993 and is different from the pre-1967 board. The new board should manage only the 350sq. miles which became Kabaka’s private property under the 1900 agreement, not pubic land (9,000sq miles).
Therefore, Mengo should not ask to revert to the old Buganda Land Board which became the district land boards under decentralisation. Since 1900, the 9,000sq miles have been public land. The district land boards are in best position to administer it since they are part of the Government, which is constitutionally mandated to hold all public land in trust for all Ugandans.
This land area was divided and put under different authorities. For example, 1,500sq miles was declared forests and put under the Government; 350sq miles became Kabaka’s private land; and 8,000sq miles went to chiefs and private landlords. Others who got included the Namasole, princes, princesses and religious groups.
Another 9,000sq miles were declared “waste and uncultivated land to be vested in Her Majesty’s Government.†This was also called Crown Land. It had no private owners. It was public land to be controlled by the colonial government.
When colonialists left in 1962, the land was put under the Buganda Kingdom, which at the time was a local government like the districts of today, to continue controlling it as public land on behalf of all Ugandans. The kingdom administered the land through the Buganda Land Board – the equivalent of district land boards of today.
After abolition of kingdoms in 1967, all pubic land including the 9,000sq miles was put under the Uganda Land Commission. Thus, the old Buganda Land Board expired. The land went to district land boards under the decentralisation policy. Districts took over from the Uganda Land Commission.
The Buganda Land Board of today followed restoration of kingdoms in 1993 and is different from the pre-1967 board. The new board should manage only the 350sq. miles which became Kabaka’s private property under the 1900 agreement, not pubic land (9,000sq miles).
Therefore, Mengo should not ask to revert to the old Buganda Land Board which became the district land boards under decentralisation. Since 1900, the 9,000sq miles have been public land. The district land boards are in best position to administer it since they are part of the Government, which is constitutionally mandated to hold all public land in trust for all Ugandans.