Lands ministry explains Namboole title queries

The lands ministry has explained queries related to the Mandela National Stadium title deeds, saying the three land titles, totalling about 50 hectares, which they handed over to the education ministry are not fake.

"Under freehold register volume 419 folio 25, a title measuring 48.54 hectares was issued on July 11, 2005 for Plot 3391 and Kyadondo Block 234 Plot 1334 measuring 1.66 hectares under Mailo register was issued to Uganda Land Commission (ULC) in trust for Mandela National Stadium Ltd whose shareholders are the finance ministry with 50% shares and education ministry with 50%," Dorcas Okalany, the permanent secretary of the lands ministry, said.

Okalany was responding to a query raised by her colleague, Alex Kakooza, the education ministry's permanent secretary, who in a letter to the lands ministry questioned the authenticity of two land titles that were handed over to the education ministry last week.

"We have noted that Block 234, Plot 3391 was split into two plots — 6086 and 6087. This land title (Block 234, Plot 3391) had been declared as lost by ULC in 2010 and replaced by a special title on June 13, 2011, by the lands ministry, on request of ULC," Kakooza said.

Okalany said in 2009, Mandela National Stadium Ltd, applied to have the above titles registered in their names, but the duplicate certificate of title for Plot 3391 was never availed by the ULC until 2017 when it was recovered.

"Upon its recovery, the commission applied to have Plot 3391 sub-divided, creating plots 6086 and 6087 as residue thus making Plot 3391 inactive in the Land Information System," she said.

The ULC also arbitrarily issued leases on Plot 6086 to Pioneer Easy Bus and Kabale Distributors Ltd without the consent of the finance and education ministries, who are the shareholding entities of the land, Okalany said.

"The leases will not be renewed after their expiry in 2021 and 2022 respectively as communicated to offi ce of titles by the inter-ministerial meeting convened by the education ministry.

Okalany said the total acreage of all titles for Mandela National Stadium Ltd is 50.2 hectares, but opening of boundaries is expected to commence to ascertain the exact the acreage.

"There are no other titles in existence contradicting this position, which is the official position of office of titles," Okalany said.