Mbarara District Council has given the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), John Patrick Nuwagaba, two months to provide a detailed report on all government-owned land in the district amid concerns over missing land titles and the leasing of public property.
The directive was issued during a council sitting on Thursday, where councillors also questioned the procedures followed in leasing several pieces of land in Kamukuzi, Mbarara City. The council’s Works Committee reported that several land titles and other ownership documents were missing, a situation that was first noticed during the handover from former CAO David Muhwezi several months ago.
Edgar Tuhamye, the chairperson of the Works Committee and district councillor for Bukiiro Sub-county, said the missing documents include titles for several plots in Kashari County and its lower local governments. Among the affected properties are Plot 4 on University Road measuring 0.427 hectares, Plot 48 on Western Bypass Road measuring 0.626 hectares, as well as Plots 601 in Block 29, 1924 in Block 16, 145 in Block 5, 1012 in Block 16, 410 in Block 35, 51 in Block 14, 169 in Block 11, 73 in Block 22 and Plot 30 in Block 39.
The committee also raised concerns about four properties whose documentation is reportedly missing, and which have been leased to private institutions. These include Plot 5 on Kitunzi Road, measuring 3.2208 hectares, which was subleased to American Procurement Company for 49 years in 2011. Others are Plot 18 on Kamukuzi Road, measuring 0.7172 hectares; Plot 2-4 on Kamukuzi Link 2, measuring 1.8622 hectares; and Plot 19 on Kitunzi Road, measuring 0.7546 hectares.
The three properties were reportedly subleased to Kampala International University for 25 years in 2026. The concerns have prompted councillors to demand clarification on how the leases were approved and whether all the required procedures were followed. District councillor for Kagongi Sub-county, Venasious Munanukye, however, urged his colleagues to exercise patience as they await a comprehensive report.
Munanukye noted that many of the people currently responsible for managing the district’s affairs, including members of the District Executive Committee, are relatively new in the system. He also pointed out that the matter is already under investigation by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit and called for the council to wait for its findings.
District Speaker Severinous Nuwagira said the CAO was responsible for the custody of government property and therefore had an obligation to provide the council with the information it requires. He said the council would scrutinise the report once it is submitted and make decisions based on verified information.
Mbarara LC V Chairperson Hygiene Twogyeirwe stressed the need to follow the correct procedures whenever public land is leased. He said council resolutions and minutes concerning land transactions should be properly documented, copied to the relevant ministries, including the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Local Government, and implemented accordingly.
Twogyeirwe said the district was not opposed to partnerships with private investors but wanted arrangements that would generate sustained revenue for the district rather than one-off payments.
Nuwagaba told the council that he became aware of the missing documents during the handover process and instructed the senior lands officer to establish what had happened and provide a report. He said the report had not yet been submitted and asked for more time to liaise with the officer and obtain the necessary information.
The council subsequently gave the CAO two months to compile and present a comprehensive inventory of government-owned land, including details of ownership documents, current occupants, leases and other transactions involving the properties-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
