The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Sembabule, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Two residents of Sembabule District are protesting against State Minister for Lands, Sam Mayanja, over his recent instruction to cancel the titles of their ranches.
Benon Burora Kuteesa and James Jjemba, both residents of Mitima Sub-county in Sembabule District, have formally complained to the judiciary, describing Minister Mayanja’s actions as arbitrary.
Last week, responding to concerns from residents of Kitayiira Parish who feared eviction by landlords, Mayanja visited the area. He announced the cancellation of land titles issued for contested public land, which he described as irregularly allocated. Burora and Jjemba, who own ranches on parts of the contested land, are aggrieved by the Minister’s directive.
They accuse him of bias and of interfering in matters still pending before the courts. Burora asserts that the Minister’s public statements have incited residents to threaten violence and block him from accessing his two-square-mile ranch.
“I have been using the land for 20 years and obtained a freehold land title from the Uganda Land Commission. When a dispute arose, as residents started encroaching on the land in 2018, I ran to the courts of law to seek redress, but to my surprise, as we still wait for the court judgment, the Minister issued a statement that nullified my rights to own the land,” Burora stated in his protest letter.
He accuses the Minister of deciding without hearing both sides and claims that he is now being pursued by residents demanding compensation. Jjemba, another affected individual, argues that his opponents, unable to prove their case in court, misled the Minister, resulting in a decision against his 1.6-square-mile ranch. Jjemba laments that his attempts to explain his situation to Minister Mayanja during a public meeting were futile, as he was heckled by an agitated crowd.
He also claims that the Minister’s actions have led to biased instructions from security organs, which have told him to stay away from the contested land, despite being a complainant awaiting the court’s judgment. The two have petitioned Principal Judge Justice Dr. Flavian Zeija, requesting intervention to restrain the Minister from inciting litigants and, if possible, to retract the cancellation of their land titles.
They fear that pursuing the matter through the normal court process could be time-consuming and might allow their opponents to seize the contested property, including their livestock. Justice Victoria Nakintu Katamba, the Senior Resident Judge in Masaka, has acknowledged receipt of the petition on behalf of the Principal Judge.
He assured me that the concerns would be thoroughly reviewed and addressed according to the law. Justice Katamba urged the complainants to remain calm, emphasizing that the Minister’s pronouncements will not override court decisions.
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