UGANDA, Kampala | Real Muloodi News | On 6th July 2022, Members of Parliament from different political parties formed the ‘Uganda Parliamentarians Land Management Forum.’
The goal of the Uganda Parliamentarians Land Management Forum (UPLMF) is to reposition parliamentary roles for the fulfilment of equitable land rights in Uganda and their vision is to ensure a prosperous Ugandan society with secure tenure rights to land.
While addressing journalists about the forum, Christine Nakiwmero Kaaya, the designated chairperson of the forum, revealed that it will at the core, promote and protect the land rights of Ugandans across the country.
“We are going to use our oversight role especially in identifying which disputes are common across Uganda and then use our legislative role. Some of the policies are there but are not biting as far as land tenure security for our very vulnerable citizens is concerned. Look at the Parish Development Mosel, nothing has been put up as far as management of the Parish Area Land Committee is concerned and yet this is the first organ that would help us with land disputes,” Kaaya revealed.
“Then look at the representation, it lacks scientific evidence which the speaker has always requested us to have. So this is a forum that is going to help pool respurces, they may be academic or human resource to help us beef our debates with concrete research, evidence, data and information,” she added.
The Kiboga Woman Member of Parliament also disclosed that they will conduct constituency visits and capacity building with land rights.
“We would also like to influence issues of budgeting relating to land governance, for example, how much money is there in the land fund to compensate the Baganda whose land titles have been compensated in Kibaale. What challenges do people face to request this compensation? We would like this platform to cater for these issues and we are praying that different stakeholders do take part,” Kaaya explained.
Hon John Amos Okot of Agago North and Patrick Nyanzi of Butemba County from the National Resistance Movement (NRM) attended the press conference.
The others that were present were David Lukyamuzi Kalwanga of Busujju County, Asinansi Nyakato the Hoima Woman Member of Parliament, Mukasa Aloysius of Rubaga South and Ronald Kanyike of Bukoto East.
Gloria Acayo of the Food Rights Alliance says that the problems Ugandans are facing root in outdated laws.
“We do have laws that do not yet comprehend the actual issues of a Uganda, especially the Land Acquisition Act of 2nd July 1965…as a result, we have seen people being left in a worse state than they were before and for us as Civil Society, it is a big concern because the people of Uganda survive on land. When you take away land from them, you have not just taken the soul, you have taken the identity and livelihood,” Acayo explained.
“As a result, we have seen land giveaways happening in the country including forests and wetlands being taken away. And yet these are the resources that people have been using. And all these are happening when we do have the Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources and NEMA in place,” she called out.
The history of land cases in Uganda is that according to the Police Crime Report of 2021, 332 cases of ‘very’ serious land-related crimes were reported at the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) headquarters in Kibuli, Kampala, which indicated an increase of 4%.
In 2020, a total of 319 cases of land-related crimes were reported and by the end of that year, 287 cases were still under investigation. Altogether, UGX 4,108,400,000 was lost in fraudulent land transactions.
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