UGANDA, Kayunga | Real Muloodi News | UPDF Brigadier James Kinaalwa is in a legal fray with leaders in Kayunga District over 4 acres of Buganda Kingdom land.
The land in question is next to the Kayunga Regional Hospital. It houses Kayunga Sub-County headquarters, the Kayunga Community Centre and some market stalls.
According to Mr Joshua Kampi, the Kayunga Sub County chairperson, Brig. Kinaalwa claims to have obtained a 49- year lease for the land from Buganda Land Board (BLB), and and has been petitioning BLB for the eviction of the sub-county headquarters and other tenants.
Brigadier Kinaalwa, who is from Kayunga District himself, plans to build a commercial building on the heavily contested land.
Mr Kampi accuses Brigadier Kinaalwa for using fraudulent means to get the land. He insists that the Land Board can’t offer a lease to him without consent from the sitting tenants, which was never sought.
Brigadier Kinaalwa denies that he grabbed the land, and invited the sub-county leaders to file a complaint to the Buganda Land Board.
He says, “If they have a lease from that land from the board, let them present it.”
In an interview, Mr Kampi says, “We have petitioned the board through the Chief Administrative Officer of Kayunga District seeking clarification on the rightful owner of the land.”
According to Mr George Ssembogo, the Kabaka’s representative in Kayunga Sub-County, the piece of land in question is a property of the Buganda Kingdom because the central government returned it. He therefore wonders why the leaders in the Kayunga Sub-County think they own it and accuse them of trying to steal the Kabaka’s land.
Mr Kampi insists they have a lease offer for the land from the Uganda Land Commission in 2000, which is subject to the automatic renewal. He also vows that they will die defending that land.
However, the legal officer of the Buganda Land Board rubbishes the claims made by the Kayunga leaders that they own disputed land.
“On August 5, the Kayunga District Chief Administrative Officer wrote to us asking us to allow them to occupy some pieces of land, and Kayunga Sub-County land is among those areas. We are yet to sit to consider their request. So, if they have just made their request to us, they cannot claim to own that land,” said the legal officer.
He also promised to verify if Brigadier Kinaalwa was offered a lease for the disputed land.
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