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Fort Portal, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The King of Tooro Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV has revived the Kingdom’s demand for its property that is in possession of the central government.
Addressing his subjects on Tuesday at the 28th Coronation Anniversary at his palace in Fort Portal City, King Oyo said that the Kingdom is looking forward to receiving the assets despite the delayed process.
When kingdoms were abolished in 1966, properties that belonged to the institutions were taken over by the government.
Records from the Tooro Kingdom estates department show that after the restoration of the Kingdom in 1993, the government returned only 15 out of the 75 properties to Tooro Kingdom. Some of the returned properties include the Burahya County headquarters at Butebe, three buildings in Fort Portal town, and pieces of land in Kichwamba, Bukuku, Karambi, and Kisomoro sub-counties.
The properties the Kingdom is demanding from the government are located in Bundibugyo, Kasese, Kyenjojo, and Kamwenge districts. Kasese and Bundibugyo were formerly under the Tooro Kingdom until 2010.
King Oyo also said that as negotiations with the government continue on the return of the assets, his subjects should not be evicted from the Kingdom land. He added that they are working with the government to issue land titles to give security to the landowners.
In 2019, King Oyo met President Museveni over the return of the Kingdom assets. King Oyo told the President that the delay by the government to return the properties has affected the kingdom financially. He said that if they are returned, the kingdom can rent them out and get income to sustain its activities and improve its financial base.
The Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa, asked King Oyo to sensitize his subjects against continued land fragmentation in the Kingdom, noting that it is a key hindrance to development.
“His Majesty, the President has since been discouraging the act, People are selling land to buy motorcycles, this is not viable, and let us use the land as an asset for production, The size of land is not increasing yet we continue to divide it into small pieces” Tayebwa added.
Tayebwa further asked the King to embrace the Government programs, citing the parish development model.
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