Govt to probe church land grab
THE lands ministry is to investigate reports by the Catholic Church of people grabbing its land in several parts of the country.
By Cyprian Musoke
THE lands ministry is to investigate reports by the Catholic Church of people grabbing its land in several parts of the country.
In a letter responding to Archbishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga’s Christmas day sermon, the ministry’s permanent secretary, Dennis Obbo, said government officials who are found to have been involved would be exposed and punished.
“The ministry is greatly concerned about land grabbing at Ttakajjunge, Mpigi, Buyege, Nabijano and Nsambya and will, therefore, investigate the matter to establish the truth and ensure that there is no breach of the law,†Obbo said.
He assured the Archbishop, the Catholic Church and the nation of the Government’s commitment to protect church land.
The Government, Obbo stressed, is committed to ensuring the rule of law and respect of land rights.
In his message, Lwanga accused “some people in positions of authority of unjust practices†which, he said, should be probed.
“We have land in Namugonde, Kakindu and Kisubi parishes which has been grabbed, fenced off and is now under armed guards hired by Pastor Osborn Muyanja and others,†he said.
Lwanga accused resident district commissioners of playing a big role in encroaching on Church land in the areas of Ttakajjunge, Mpigi, Buyege, Nabijano and Nsambya.
He observed that even though the Land Bill had been passed, there were still increasing cases of land grabbing.
To this, Obbo said: “It is not true because the number of illegal evictions has reduced ever since the passing of the Land Amendment Act, 2010, as monitored by the ministry and media reports.â€
He called for factual substantiation of the Archbishop’s claims in order to initiate the necessary action.
“Part of the problem has been caused by victims who do not report cases of land grabbing or report them to the wrong offices, yet the law is clear on where such cases should be reported,†he said.
Obbo said the Land Act does not protect unlawful occupants, illegal tenants, trespassers and licensees (people temporarily brought in by the land owners to utilise the land).
It also does not protect lessees (people with oral or written agreements with the land owners to temporarily occupy or use the land for a specific period of time), people renting agricultural land and those renting premises.
According to Charles Kato, the administrative officer of the archdiocese land board, Muyanja buys land from tenants who are not supposed to sell it.
He said letters asking tenants not to sell off the land had gone unheeded by the pastor and another culprit, identified as Dan Mulinda.
Kato said they had invited the pastor to discuss the matter, but he did not turn up.
But Muyanja says he is just a tenant on the land buying more land from other tenants, and that he had no title.
THE lands ministry is to investigate reports by the Catholic Church of people grabbing its land in several parts of the country.
In a letter responding to Archbishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga’s Christmas day sermon, the ministry’s permanent secretary, Dennis Obbo, said government officials who are found to have been involved would be exposed and punished.
“The ministry is greatly concerned about land grabbing at Ttakajjunge, Mpigi, Buyege, Nabijano and Nsambya and will, therefore, investigate the matter to establish the truth and ensure that there is no breach of the law,†Obbo said.
He assured the Archbishop, the Catholic Church and the nation of the Government’s commitment to protect church land.
The Government, Obbo stressed, is committed to ensuring the rule of law and respect of land rights.
In his message, Lwanga accused “some people in positions of authority of unjust practices†which, he said, should be probed.
“We have land in Namugonde, Kakindu and Kisubi parishes which has been grabbed, fenced off and is now under armed guards hired by Pastor Osborn Muyanja and others,†he said.
Lwanga accused resident district commissioners of playing a big role in encroaching on Church land in the areas of Ttakajjunge, Mpigi, Buyege, Nabijano and Nsambya.
He observed that even though the Land Bill had been passed, there were still increasing cases of land grabbing.
To this, Obbo said: “It is not true because the number of illegal evictions has reduced ever since the passing of the Land Amendment Act, 2010, as monitored by the ministry and media reports.â€
He called for factual substantiation of the Archbishop’s claims in order to initiate the necessary action.
“Part of the problem has been caused by victims who do not report cases of land grabbing or report them to the wrong offices, yet the law is clear on where such cases should be reported,†he said.
Obbo said the Land Act does not protect unlawful occupants, illegal tenants, trespassers and licensees (people temporarily brought in by the land owners to utilise the land).
It also does not protect lessees (people with oral or written agreements with the land owners to temporarily occupy or use the land for a specific period of time), people renting agricultural land and those renting premises.
According to Charles Kato, the administrative officer of the archdiocese land board, Muyanja buys land from tenants who are not supposed to sell it.
He said letters asking tenants not to sell off the land had gone unheeded by the pastor and another culprit, identified as Dan Mulinda.
Kato said they had invited the pastor to discuss the matter, but he did not turn up.
But Muyanja says he is just a tenant on the land buying more land from other tenants, and that he had no title.