The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda |THE INDEPENDENT | Land officials implicated in the alleged fraudulent land transactions in Jinja district must personally be held to account for their actions, Lands’ Minister Betty Amongi Ongom has told the Land Commission of Inquiry.
Amongi on Tuesday said that the registrars must be subjected to carry their cross for issuing freehold title over government land to Indian Born Ugandan investor Thummar Jay Magnalal Patel for setting up a shopping mall.
The Commission summoned the Minister to explain why she instructed Jinja Municipal Council authorities to commit the land for investment in contravention of a running lease by Tirupati Development.
Amongi admitted writing the letter LAT 90/196/02 whose reference is “Land for Investment in Jinja” dated November 27th, 2018 addressed to the Speaker of Jinja Municipal Council and the Municipal Town Clerk.
She said the letter was only meant to place council on notice of an earlier letter from Evelyn Anite, the State Minister for Finance Planning and Economic Development in charge of Privatization and Investment dated November 22nd 2018.
Amongi said Anite’s letter pointed to the fact that due diligence had already been conducted around the named investor as outlined in their recommendation that Patel had already invested more than 100 Million US dollars in Real Estate, Sugar Manufacturing and Food Processing Sectors of Uganda.
The Minister was questioned by the Land Commission of Inquiry Deputy Lead Counsel John Bosco Suuza who said Amongi was summoned to testify in the matter after witnesses named her in the transaction he described as tainted in fraud.
One of the witnesses was Aisha Kebira, the Jinja District Principal Land Registrar who told the Commission she acted under duress on August 19th 2018 after receiving among others a phone call form Minister Betty Amongi.
Asked to clarify on why she phoned Kebira, over the matter, Amongi said she was seeking clarification over the application without understanding the nature of the complaints of Tirupati development.
Amongi said she neither met the investor nor knew him when she received the recommendation for the Minister in charge of investment. She said her ministry is under cabinet instruction to facilitate speeding land processing for investors within two months of placing an application for government land.
“In the case of government land, I ascertain guidance from Uganda Land Commission before I recommend otherwise I speak to district authorities” she stated adding that in May 2018, the Mayor of Jinja Municipal Council petitioned her office to cancel titles awarded to Tirupati Development on account that it was illegally awarded.
State Minister for Investment and Privatization Evelyn Anite is expected to appear over the same matter tomorrow Wednesday.
The Land Commission of Inquiry started investigating the matter in July after management of Tirupati Development petitioned it saying its 25 year’s lease was fraudulently revoked.
It has so far interviewed several land registrars from the Ministry of Lands, Jinja district as well as the Indian Born Ugandan investor Thummar Jay Magnalal Patel, Jinja West Municipality Member of Parliament Moses Grace Balyeku.
MP Balyeku said he processed the land for himself in Patel’s name to avoid the transaction being shrouded in local politics.
Irene Ngobi Ndiiko, the chairperson of Jinja district land board has since resigned over the matter citing forgery of her signatures, council minutes and minutes of Jinja District Land Board.
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