Kayunga Resident District Commissioner-RDC Elijah Madoi says that about 30 people approach his office on a monthly basis seeking help and counsel on land matters, but warns that the challenges will continue unless the government sets up a special fund to buy off titles on land housing a big population.
Kayunga district leaders are seeking a special fund to compensate landlords and put an end to land disputes in the area. The unending land disputes in the district have oftentimes resulted in injuries and loss of life.
A baseline survey on land
conflicts carried out in the month of April 2021 in sub-counties of Bbaale,
Busaana, Kayonza, Kitimbwa and Kangulumira shows that four out of
ten households are involved in land conflicts whereas six out 10 witness land
conflicts at various villages. The survey by Shed, an organisation involved in solving land wrangles indicates that widowed women and single mothers are disadvantaged, with many of them facing delayed and financial incapacity to pursue
justice.
To cement the findings, Immaculate Namata, a resident at Kayunga notes that
most conflicts are sparked off by men who privately engage in land deals without the knowledge
of their wives, while others have passed on leaving no documentation for the wives and children.
Kayunga Resident District Commissioner-RDC Elijah Madoi says that about 30 people approach his office on a monthly basis
seeking help and counsel on land matters, but warns that the challenges will continue
unless the government sets up a special fund to buy off titles on land housing a big population.
//Cue in; “The squatters meet…
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Most of the land contestations in Kayunga involve persons on
freehold land that has been sold to developers intending to set up
projects such as sugarcane plantations and dairy farms without giving sitting
tenants a chance to buy off their portions.
Kayunga Senior Land Surveyor Vincent Ahimbisibwe notes
that very few tenants in the district can afford to survey their land and process titles or financially settle with landlords on the required fees. Processing
a title on land at Kayunga requires about six million Shillings.
“Authorities also need to deal with local leaders who knowingly append the same signatures on different agreements
selling land to different persons brought to them by the seller. At our side
the Ministry of Lands built a strong system that rejects duplication of titles
but the challenge here is that real owners lack the capacity to register in
time,” Ahimbisibwe notes.
The Kayunga Chief Magistrate Sarah Tumusiime Balungi says
among the cases that come up for hearing some of them can be mediated between
the two aggrieved parties to arrive at a consent agreement to reduce case backlog
at court. Balungi appeals to residents to get used to consulting
the courts for guidance on how to swiftly handle the various land conflicts in their communities.
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Meanwhile, Kayunga District Chairperson Ffefeka Sserubogo notes that the government has for so long ignored calls for a mechanism to solve land issues in Kayunga. He notes that many times, solutions have been generated by politicians with hidden interests which causes violence.