The Minister of state in the vice president’s office has halted the planned eviction of more than 10,000 residents on a contested piece of land in six villages in Nyenga Division, Buikwe District,
The land in question belongs to Nambi Sarah and the late Kinaalwa who was acting as the caretaker, measuring 1000 acres.
The said Nambi Sarah, hired city Lawyer Kenneth Paul Kakande and real estate dealer Natasha Namubiru to process for her the land title in the exchange of 70 acres for the work done.
The affected residents are from the villages of Kanyogoga Butema, Kinaabi, Nsenge, Nakakumbi, Mulungu. gathered at Kinaabi UMEA primary school to explain their dismay to the minister.
The residents revealed that it’s Natasha and Kakande that have started imposing new laws of rejecting Busuulu from them and surveyor their Bibanja without even informing them.
Mutasingwa also with immediate effect stopped all acts of land surveying on the land in question. This follows the land lord’s directive of putting mark stones in the land, a move that has caused sleepless nights to the bibanja holders.
Kizza Godfrey who lost two acres to Natasha for failing to buy his interests stated that, he is worried that once they are ordered to vacate the land they will lose their property and also lose where to dig.
“I condemn the act of surveying my kibanja without my consent,”
Residents are saying that the money asked by the landlord in order for them to attain land titles is not affordable and they would prefer paying the annual Shs 40000 busuulu, a thing that was rejected by the landlord.
“We are willing to pay Busuulu because we can’t afford the titles as the landlord wants,”. Said the residents.
The Buikwe district member of Parliament also minister of state in the vice president’s office, Diana Mutasingwa condemned the move by the said landlords of rejecting busuulu as stipulated by the law, she urged the tenants who are not able to acquire land titles to pay Busuulu.
“I can’t not give space to the land grabbers in Buikwe, it illegal to forcefully divide someone’s land without his or her knowledge, I stop any further surveying of this land, pliz don’t allow them here,” Mutasingwa said.
She also warned the LC 1 chairpersons who got the share on the contested land, in order to fight in favour of land grabbers, Mutasingwa warned them against dubious land transactions and reminded them of their responsibility of working for the people with transparency.
“Please stop conducting illegal land transactions that may land you into trouble. You should work for people”. Said Mutasingwa.
Our efforts to speak to Nambi Sarah and Kakande Paul were futile as they were not picking.