The government is to assist landowners in parts of Bunyoro in titling their land as the region battles rising cases of land grabbing. The World Bank-funded project is led by the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development.
Systematic Land Adjudication and Certification (SLAAC) program targets sub-counties, including Kiganja, Bombo, Kigorobya, Kitoba, Kabaale, Buseruka, and Buraru, among others. Robinah Nabbanja, the Prime Minister of Uganda, says the initiative is part of the government’s broader effort to curb land grabbing and conflicts in the district and nationwide.
According to Nabbanja, the issuance of the titles will commence this financial year, adding that the government has put in place all mechanisms to ensure that residents in Hoima benefit from the free land titles. She explains that the titles will be issued in phases, though she did not disclose how many titles will be issued altogether.
Nabbanja says, Ugandan Citizens need to appreciate the Government’s effort to ensure that all landowners acquire a document showing ownership and stay informed about how best to protect and use their land.
She says government, through the Ministry of lands, Housing and Urban Development, will collaborate with their respective political heads and the Hoima Resident District Commissioner (RDC) to ensure the titles reach the rightful beneficiaries.
Nabbanja has, however, warned the people of Hoima and Bunyoro at large to desist from unnecessary sale of land. Pius Wakabi, the Bugahya County Member of Parliament, highlighted the program’s potential to bring peace and stability by reducing land-grabbing cases.
He has, however, urged the government to ensure that the program covers all the sub-counties in the district for more residents to benefit, warning that many people may miss out. Hoima Woman MP Beatrace Wembabazi has encouraged residents to embrace the initiative, stressing its importance in addressing land disputes in the district.
Uthman Kadir Mugisa, Hoima LCV Chairperson, explains that the initiative will mitigate land evictions and reduce tension among residents caused by speculators and tycoons invading the area.
Patrick Musinguzi, a resident of Kiganja sub-county, appreciated the initiative, emphasizing the need for more titles to cater to those unable to afford private processing.
Hoima district has faced rampant land grabbing and evictions, particularly since the discovery of oil and gas. The most recent one was in February 2023 in the sub-counties of Kapapi and Kiganja. During the eviction, more than 1,000 residents were violently evicted from their ancestral land, and they remain stranded and suffering as they are blocked from returning home.
The evictees, mainly cultivators and pastoralists, were forced out of Waaki North, Kapapi Central, Waaki South, Runga, and Kiryatete villages in February 2023 by police officers backed by private guards. The contested land measures about five square miles.
During the eviction, over 50 homes were torched, and livestock, including cows and goats, were killed. The residents accuse Hoima businessman, Moses Asiimwe, of conniving with security forces to grab their land. Asiimwe reportedly leased it for 49 years to Brigadier General Peter Nabasa Akankunda.
Since then, some families have sought refuge at Rwenyana Gospel Church in Kapapi, while others live in makeshift shelters on land provided by relatives and well-wishers. On February 22, 2023, Lands Minister Judith Nabakooba visited the area and ordered the residents back to their land, saying they had been evicted without a court order and at night, in violation of the law.
She directed security officials to protect the residents and withdraw private guards. Days later, however, when residents tried to return, they were reportedly blocked by UPDF soldiers deployed on the land.
In February 2019, more than 500 families were brutally evicted from their ancestral land in Kyabisagazi 1 and Kyabisagazi 2 villages in Kigorobya sub-county, Hoima district.
Four toddlers were killed during the brutal eviction of the residents by armed men in uniforms similar to those of the Uganda Peoples Defense Forces and the Anti-riot police.
The families were evicted from their ancestral land on February 13, 2019, when armed teams raided the village under the guise of tracking down people involved in subversive activities. The contested land measuring 485 acres was at the centre of a dispute between Edgar Agaba, a businessman in Hoima town, and more than 500 families.
To date, the evicted people have never received any help from the government, yet they are landless, and most are said to have resorted to living with their relatives in various parts of the country. The government hopes that providing land titles will secure residents’ land rights and promote peaceful coexistence-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
