UGANDA, Kikuube | Real Muloodi News | The Minister of State for Lands, Sam Mayanja, has intervened in a land dispute involving Bishop Stephen Kyebambe of Gospel Center Church, Kawaala, who is accused of land grabbing.
Mayanja ordered the cancellation of a 68-acre land title owned by Bishop Kyebambe in Kachungiro Village, Buhimba Sub-county, Kikuube District. The land was allegedly taken from Anatoli Rugira Itima, an elderly resident.
During a visit to the land of dispute, Minister Mayanja was informed that Bishop Kyebambe collaborated with officials from the Kikuube District Land Board to fraudulently change the land title into his name.
Subsequently, the pastor reportedly deployed military and police personnel to forcibly evict Anatoli and his family.
According to the Kikuube Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Amlan Tumusiime, Bishop Kyebambe had Anatoli, who is 93 years old, arrested and jailed along with his grandchildren.
The RDC asserted that Anatoli had purchased the land decades ago and obtained a valid land title. However, the pastor allegedly conspired with the District Land Board to cancel Anatoli’s title and acquire a new one for himself.
“When I called and asked the pastor how he got this land, he said it was gifted to him by the King of Bunyoro,” remarked the RDC during discussions with Minister Mayanja.
It was claimed that Kyebambe was offered the land by the King to develop a heritage spot where the 19th-century King Kabalega used to play board games.
However, the RDC revealed that Omukama Iguru Gafabusa, in a recent letter to the Hoima Magistrates Court, denied owning Anatoli’s land. Despite the RDC’s attempt to have Pastor Kyebambe arrested previously, he was released promptly.
Minister Mayanja, while inspecting the land, found no evidence of any heritage site being developed by the pastor.
He questioned why Pastor Kyebambe had acquired the entire 68 acres of Anatoli’s land if his intention was only to develop a small portion of it.
Consequently, Mayanja directed the Commissioner of Land Registrations at the ministry to cancel Pastor Kyebambe’s title without delay.
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