The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Minister of ICT and National Guidance Chris Baryomunsi has said that government is not after weakening Buganda in the yet to be introduced amendments to the land laws.
Speaking on Thursday at the Uganda Media Centre, Baryomunsi said the government is just concerned about the rampant land evictions especially in the Buganda region brought about by the duo ownership of land.
As a solution, the government is proposing to amend the constitution to among other things abolish the Mailo land tenure system which is most prominent in Buganda. The Mailo land provides for duo ownership of land between the landlord with a title and bibanja holders. This kind of ownership has been blamed for the numerous evictions especially in Buganda.
However, this proposal has already dampened the mood at Mengo, the seat of the Buganda Kingdom. The Kabaka who is the head of the Kingdom is one of the biggest landlords in the country, and if the amendment goes through, stands to be the biggest loser.
Last Saturday, Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II said all they read from the impending amendments is the ploy to weaken his kingdom. He said he will not tire from reminding the government about Buganda’s contribution towards the end of misrule in Uganda that enabled the accession to power of President Museveni in 1986.
Mutebi added that Buganda’s willingness to welcome other Ugandans has been misconstrued as weakness, adding that they are ready to resist any ploy by the government to expropriate the kingdom’s land.
However, Baryomunsi said anybody who resists a conversation about amending the land tenure system is denying the fact that there is a big problem of land evictions that needs to be fixed.
Although the government is yet to present the amendments in parliament, Baryomunsi gave a snapshot into what is likely to be included in the law. He said although the existing Land Act streamlines the relationship between the landowners and the tenants which include paying ground rent, some landlords have got a way around it.
He said some landlords hide from tenants in order not to receive the ground rent and subsequently go to court and evict tenants for failure to pay.
In such circumstances, now the government wants such fees to be paid at the sub-county headquarters.
On Tuesday, President Museveni met with Kabaka Mutebi at State Lodge Nakasero. Although neither the Kingdom nor the government revealed what was discussed, speculations were that the impending amendments were high on the agenda.
It should be recalled that every time there has been an attempt by the government to introduce reforms to the land laws, they have been met with fierce resistance from the Buganda Kingdom.
The Kingdom sees such overtures as ploys to expropriate its property in the guise of amending what President Museveni often refers to as a historical injustice occasioned by the 1900 Buganda Agreement.
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