The Minister of Lands Judith Nabakooba has directed Mubende District Land Board to rescind its decision that leased out land occupied by more than 1,000 people at Kyakatebe – Namuganga, in Nalutuntu Sub County, Kassanda District.
It is alleged that in 2013, Mubende District Land Board made a decision and issued a minute giving away land at Kanyogoga – Bukompe village in Nalunttu Sub County in Kassanda District but the plotting and actual takeover was done on land at Kyakatebe -Namuganga causing panic among the residents.
Nabakooba said that the land at Kyakatebe is public land and it has never been given away. She said that the land that was given away is at Bukompe– Kanyogoga.
Nabakooba said that a new land board for Kassanda District will be put in place to help residents in the district and the leaders process titles for the respective persons.
She was speaking on Tuesday at a meeting held at Kyakatebe Primary School in Kassanda District following a petition to the minister in which the leaders appealed for government intervention to save them from eviction.
The minister attributed the fights and grabbing of land to greed among the people who already have huge chunks of land in the various districts but only seek to enlarge their territories.
She also attributed the land disputes to the ignorance of the people about their rights on the land. The minister revealed that there are plans to carry out countrywide sensitization about the laws and their rights to empower the people to be in a position to fight for their rights.
The Minister also revealed that they will cancel the leases and titles issued based on forged papers and grants given fraudulently.
Frank Kabuye, the Member of Parliament for Kassanda South asked the Police to investigate and bring to book Nalutuntu Sub County area land committee, the Mubende District Staff Surveyor, and the District Land officer for the actions that led to the land squabbles in the area.
Kassanda Resident District Commissioner, Phoebe Namulindwa attributed the land disputes to the lack of area land committees in the district.
Frank Kato, the LCI Chairperson Kyakatebe Village appealed to the government to disband the area land committees at sub-counties alleging that they have no direction other than causing trouble to occupants on land.
