The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
KAMPALA, UGANDA | THE INDEPENDENT | The Kabaka of Buganda, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, has directed his legal team to take action against the Minister of State for Lands, Dr. Sam Mayanja, over his alleged disregard of court rulings concerning the disputed Kaazi land, which is officially owned by the Buganda Kingdom.
In a press statement from the Kingdom, Buganda’s Attorney General, Christopher Bwanika, dismissed Minister Mayanja’s involvement in the land dispute. He condemned the minister’s recent orders instructing the Registrar General of the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) to deregister the Buganda Land Board (BLB), the institution responsible for managing the Kabaka’s land.
Bwanika described the minister’s actions as “contempt of court and disregard for the law,” adding that the Kabaka’s legal team had been instructed to file a lawsuit challenging Mayanja’s statements and actions.
“The Kingdom of Buganda has directed its external lawyers to take legal action against Hon. Dr. Sam Mayanja’s declarations, utterances, and actions, including those made during the March 4, 2025, meeting at Kaazi,” Bwanika said.
The disputed land, located on Block 273, Plot 5, has a long and complex history. Initially part of the 350 acres allocated to the Kabaka of Buganda under the 1900 Agreement, the land title was first created in 1923. It was officially registered under the then-Kabaka, His Highness Chwa II, and has since been passed down through successive Kabakas.
He clarified that although Ssekabaka Chwa II received the land from the British colonial government, he did not own it as an individual but as the King of Buganda. “It is important to note that Ssekabaka Daudi Chwa II did not own the Kaazi land in his personal capacity. He held it in his official capacity as Kabaka. This land was later passed on to Ssekabaka Edward Muteesa II and is now held by Kabaka Mutebi II in the same official capacity,” Bwanika explained.
In 1948, then-Kabaka Edward Muteesa II leased the land to the Uganda Scouts Association for 49 years, strictly for scouting and camping purposes. However, following the abolition of kingdoms in 1967, the central government confiscated the land and vested it under the Uganda Land Commission. The land was officially returned to the Kabaka in 1993 through the Traditional Rulers (Restitution of Assets and Properties) Act, and it is now managed by the Buganda Land Board on behalf of the Kingdom.
Bwanika stated that both the Uganda Land Commission and the Scouts Association acted unlawfully by creating unauthorized subleases without the Kabaka’s consent. “The Kabaka successfully petitioned the Commissioner of Land Registration, who subsequently canceled the illegal lease titles,” he said. He further noted that the Kabaka solidified his ownership of the land by winning a legal battle against Prince Kalemeera and others in a landmark 2020 ruling, in which the claimants were found to have falsely claimed ownership of the land.
“As confirmed by the court, it is an undisputed fact that the land rightfully belongs to the Kabaka,” he emphasized. “We urge the public to disregard any misleading claims suggesting otherwise.”
Buganda Land Board spokesperson Denis Bugaya questioned Mayanja’s understanding of the law and criticized his recent remarks and actions, arguing that the minister was fully aware that a court ruling had already settled the dispute. Bugaya informed that all necessary preparations to take Mayanja to court had been completed, and they had sufficient evidence to successfully prosecute him.
“For the first time in modern Buganda Kingdom history, we are taking Mr. Sam Mayanja to court in his individual capacity. We believe we have an actionable case against him for abuse of office and issuing illegal directives to his junior officers,” Bugaya stated.
He emphasized that the Buganda Kingdom would not stand by while individuals like Mayanja mislead the Kabaka’s subjects, reaffirming the Kingdom’s commitment to taking legal action as required by the law. The lawsuit, based on Mayanja’s declarations, utterances, and actions, including those made during the March 4, 2025, meeting at Kaazi, aims to secure legal relief for the Kingdom.
Currently, the Kaazi land, situated on Block 273, Plot 5, remains part of the 350 acres allocated to the Kabaka under the 1900 Agreement. The corresponding land title, created on June 22, 1923, was initially registered under FC 18454 before being entered into the Mailo Register Volume (MRV) 269 Folio 25. In 1948, the Kabaka leased the land to the Uganda Scouts Association for a period of 49 years, starting July 1, 1948.
The lease agreement explicitly prohibited the Scouts Association from subdividing or subleasing the land. This lease was registered under instrument number 81336 in Leasehold Register Volume (LRV) 236, Folio 7.
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