UGANDA, Wakiso | Real Muloodi News | Efforts to mediate a land dispute between Buganda Kingdom’s Mpologoma clan leaders and retired army officer Maj Gen. Elly Kayanja came to an impasse during a meeting held over the weekend.
The conflict arose when an unidentified group descended on Mpologoma ancestral land in Lwadda Village-Matugga, Wakiso District, on August 6.
They began clearing trees and bush, an action condemned by clan leaders who believed it was an attempt to seize their land. Approximately seven acres were cleared and subdivided into plots for sale.
Mpologoma clan leaders assert that their entire land measures 640 acres, with 25 acres of it leased to Gen. Kayanja by Buganda Land Board (BLB) without their consent. Gen. Kayanja’s 49-year lease on this portion expired in July 2022.
During a closed-door meeting at Matugga Police Station, both parties could not reach a consensus on how to resolve the dispute.
Representing Mpologoma clan were Hajj Yunus Ntale, Mr. Charles Sserwadda, and Mr. Emmanuel Kato, while Gen. Kayanja was accompanied by his son Mr. Douglas Kayanja, Lt. Leonard Lule, a guard to Gen. Kayanja, and Mr. Kabogere Kabuye, Gen. Kayanja’s brother.
The meeting was chaired by Mr. Julius Muhairwe, the Head of the Land Desk at Matugga Police Station, and Mr. Patrick Mugwanya, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Chairperson in Matugga.
According to Mr. Sserwadda, during the meeting, Gen. Kayanja proposed giving Mpologoma leaders three acres, an offer they rejected.
They expressed their discontent with a tenant suggesting how much land they should receive on their property and demanded that if BLB wanted to renew Gen. Kayanja’s contract, they should provide him with another piece of land, not on their cultural site.
Hajj Yunus Ntale, the Mpologoma Clan spokesperson, stated that they would mobilise clan members to demand their land title from BLB, feeling betrayed after years of patience.
Meanwhile, Gen. Kayanja’s aides indicated that the battle would be fought outside the public eye, and Gen. Kayanja was not prepared to speak to journalists.
Mr. Kassim Kakembo, the Officer in Charge of Matugga Police Station, noted that when Gen. Kayanja’s lease expired, he applied for its renewal but had yet to receive any feedback from BLB. He urged clan members to follow the legal process to reclaim the land.
Buganda Kingdom Spokesperson, Mr. Israel Kaziibwe, stated that the kingdom was aware of the Mpologoma clan land issues and would soon convene a meeting involving all interested parties to address the matter.
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