Namboole land titles: The devil was in the detail

The devil is always in the detail. When honourable men in suits meet at a handover ceremony to handover assets of national importance and exchange diplomatic pleasantries, it's diplomacy. The kind that took place on 24 August in the Ministry of Education boardroom, 7th Floor, Embassy House, when senior officials of the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban development handed over three certificates of titles for Mandela National Stadium to the State Minister for Sports, Hon. Denis Hamson Obua.

But when it turns out that the hastily arranged ceremony was a sham designed to hoodwink the public, traces of darkness suddenly appear. In this case, some of the men in suits at Embassy House were not so honourable after all. With fully functional mental faculties, these men set in motion and executed an evil plan that was conceived by a mafia click within the Lands ministry from the day they learned that the Minister of Education and Sports, Hon. Janet Kataaha Museveni and the Ministry of Finance, both representing the 100% government shareholding in the national sporting treasure were pursuing their interests.

On 25 August, a back page headline screamed, ‘Namboole land titles finally secured.' The mafia celebrated. They had won round one. The round of deception and blackmail. But then, four days later, another headline - as cold as ice - screamed; ‘Minister given fake land titles.' The mafia froze! There was a leak in the chain. The ululations and jubilations that followed the first headlines were replaced by shock, anger, and frustration when the second headlines broke. It was the mood in the public. Vintage Uganda.

The certificates of titles that were handed over to the Ministry of Education and Sports by the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development were for block 234 Plot 1334, 6086, and 6087. What wasn't said at the hand over was that Plot 3391 had been split into two blocks using a title which had been declared lost by the Uganda Land Commission in 2010 and replaced by a special title in June 2011 on the request of ULC. Once a duplicate certificate of title is replaced by a special title, the duplicate ceases and cannot be used as proof of ownership. That's the law.

The story doesn't end there. Plot 6086 had a conditionality attached; it was open to being used for residential or commercial purposes and compensation if any had to be done to existing tenants. Wow! Designated National sports stadium land being cleared for use as residential or commercial. Take your pick. Titles finally secured or fake titles?

Was the Special Title Block 234 plot 1334 which was handed over to the Minister of Lands on 06 August 2019 cancelled or replaced by titles for plot 6086 and 6087? These were split from the original duplicate earlier declared lost in 2010!  What was the reason for splitting the original title for Block 234 Plot 1334 into two plots (6086 and 6087)?  Only the Ministry of Lands has the answers and herein lies the devil.

The audacity to hand over fake titles to a whole government minister is one thing, the bravery to issue titles using falsehood is another. If changing a gazetted sports facility to residential or commercial to legitimize an illegal sale of a government asset is not sinful enough, what about splitting an original plot into two, for the sake of pursuing higher yields from the illegal sale?

Don't cry for Namboole, cry for Uganda. The state sports minister no doubt received a poisoned chalice but I see a blessing in disguise as well. After decades of wondering how the Nambole land can be invaded, raped, defiled, and stolen with reckless abandon without the powers that be rushing to the stadium's rescue despite numerous outcries from Nambole management and board, the answer is for all to see.

The mafia had long taken over not just the ‘ownership' of this land but also the political supervision and administrative mandate. No wonder then that rather than sports; churches, hotels, restaurants, washing bays, and other businesses have taken over the public facility.