The ownership status of the land occupied by Nakaseke Hospital remains uncertain following the failure by authorities to process a land acquire land titel from the Buganda Kingdom. Nakaseke Hospital, which was established in the 1960s under the administration of former Prime Minister Milton Obote, occupies approximately 29 acres of land.
In 2013, the hospital underwent major renovation works aimed at improving healthcare services for residents of Nakaseke and neighboring districts. However, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between President Yoweri Museveni and Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II in 2013, it emerged that the land occupied by the hospital formed part of the property claimed by the Buganda Kingdom.
In response, Nakaseke District Local Government initiated efforts to formalize its occupancy of the land by seeking a lease title from the Buganda Land Board. In 2024, after evaluating the application, the Buganda Land Board asked Nakaseke Hospital to pay Shs296 million to secure a 49-year lease title or Shs576 million for a 99-year lease title. The hospital was also required to pay an annual ground rent of Shs13 million.
Despite these requirements, officials say efforts to formalize ownership through a lease arrangement have stalled, leaving the institution vulnerable to potential land disputes and encroachment. Nakaseke Hospital Administrator Milly Namuleme said the matter was referred to the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer and the Ministry of Lands for guidance and support in securing the lease title.
“We are still waiting for a response from the relevant offices, and currently, we have not secured the lease title as advised. We have made further efforts by writing to the Ministry of Health and are still awaiting a response,” Namuleme said. The Nakaseke District LC5 Chairperson, Ignatius Koomu, said the district lacks the funds required to obtain the lease title and is relying on support from the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Lands to secure the government health facility.
“At the district level, we are unable to raise the necessary funds to secure the title. We now appeal to the Ministry of Lands and Health to intervene to secure the title without paying the fees,” Koomu said
Efforts to obtain comments from officials at the Ministries of Lands and Health were unsuccessful, as they were attending a government retreat in Kyankwanzi. As the matter remains unresolved, part of the hospital land is reportedly under threat. Officials say approximately two acres have already been claimed and occupied by private developers. The contested land formerly hosts the hospital’s public cemetery and sewage lagoon.
The developers are said to claim that they legally acquired the land through the Buganda Land Board. Meanwhile, Attorney General Sam Mayanja has repeatedly questioned the legality of the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the President and the Kabaka. Mayanja argues that implementation of the agreement remains incomplete because the President has never constituted the implementation team required under the MoU.
According to him, the team was expected to engage the Buganda Kingdom on land occupied by government institutions, administrative units, and private individuals, and determine how such land should be managed. He maintains that any transfer of land, property management, or collection of related revenues before the establishment of the implementation team is unlawful.
Mayanja further notes that Parliament has never amended the Traditional Rulers (Restitution of Assets and Properties) Act, 1993, to harmonize it with the Constitution and other relevant laws governing property ownership.
He also argues that, under the Constitution, public land should be administered by the Uganda Land Commission and District Land Boards rather than Buganda Land Board Limited, which he has previously described as operating outside the legal framework governing public land administration. The unresolved dispute has heightened concerns among district leaders and hospital administrators, who warn that delays in securing a lease title could jeopardize the future expansion and protection of one of Nakaseke District’s key public health facilities-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
