UGANDA, Kyankwanzi | Real Muloodi News | President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has vowed to dismantle “the old and barbaric land laws” that have harmed Ugandans for years through rampant illegal evictions, the Daily Monitor reports.
The Commission of Inquiry, led by Justice Catherine Bamugemereire, presented the president and MPs with the report on land disputes during the retreat in Kyankwanzi in April. The study cited loopholes in existing land laws and corruption in land management.
Without revealing the specifics of the proposed Land Act constitutional amendments, President Museveni agreed to enforce the report of the Commission of Inquiry on Land Matters with the help of NRM MPs-elect his new cabinet.
President Museveni requested the MPs assist him in finding a long-term solution to the land problem. They agreed to adopt the report of the Commission of Inquiry on Land Matters. The aim is to put an end to land disputes that have often resulted in violent evictions.
During the retreat, he said that the new cabinet would review the report and create a white paper on which the government will reform the existing system, Daily Monitor reports.
There is evidence that those in power often side with squatters and trespassers without first assessing the facts about ownership and the causes of land disputes.
President Museveni told the MPs that the expected amendments to the Land Act would “stabilize the situation,” the Daily Monitor reports.
Land Report Recommendations
To minimize land disputes, Justice Bamugemereire and team proposed:
- All land in the country should be registered;
- Introduction of customary freehold in the law, by which a certificate of customary title shall be registered;
- Establishment of the Uganda Land Services Bureau (ULSB) to manage all land matters;
- Compulsory tax on idle land to be levied on privately owned large tracts of land of half a square mile;
- To improve tenure protection;
- To create opportunities for efficient land use.
President Museveni further cited the Mailo Land tenure that the British colonialists handed to Buganda chiefs and their collaborators. He pledged to end what he termed as “colonial mistakes,” the Daily Monitor reports.
According to the Daily Monitor, the president disclosed that the public could air their views on the proposed amendments before implementation.
READ MORE LIKE THIS:
