UGANDA, Luwero | Real Muloodi News | Sam Mayanja, the State Minister for Lands, has ordered the revocation of six freehold land titles fraudulently obtained on seven square miles belonging to the late Cranmer Kaaya’s family.
The late Kaaya, a wealthy businessman, obtained a 49-year lease on seven square kilometres of land on Block 769 Plot 3 in Luwero in 1969, with the term set to end in 2013. The lease was renewed for 99 years by the Uganda Land Commission.
The local Land Committee and the Luwero District Land Board, on the other hand, produced six freehold land titles on the same land, although the lease had not ended.
Former Vice President Edward Ssekandi purchased one and a half square miles of the contentious land after being sold to different persons. Other buyers were Dr Alice Nakiwoga, John Bizimungu, Dan Mutagubya, Florence Asiimwe, and Beatrice Nyayisanga.
Last year, the late Kaaya’s family petitioned Lands Minister Sam Mayanja, requesting a probe into how the titles on the current contract were formed and revoke what was done.
On December 1, 2021, Minister Mayanja replied in writing to the Inspector General of Government-IGG, requesting that they examine Ivan Serwambala, the Luwero District Senior Surveyor, and how the land might have been titled.
Mayanja asked the Commissioner of Land Registration in a letter dated January 3, 2022, to annul all land titles created under the lease since they were granted unlawfully and in complete violation of protocols and law. Block 769 plots 09, 10, 11, and others are impacted.
Minister Mayanja also exonerated Surveyor Serwambala, claiming that he had discovered that he had not participated in the alleged fraud. He also ordered that all land brokers be barred from working and dealing with land issues surrounding all Ministerial Zonal Offices-MZOs in the country.
He underlined that the MZOs might only be used by registered land proprietors, bankers, surveyors, architects, and lawyers with valid practising certifications.
Wasswa Kaaya, the late Cranmer Kaaya’s son, said they were relieved to have reclaimed their land, and they had no grudge with Serwambala because he was not engaged in the scam.
Wasswa added that they spoke with several titleholders, including former VP Sekandi, and they resolved to give up the land because they purchased it without realizing it was unlawfully acquired.
Wasswa said that there is a group of brokers positioned at the Ministerial Zonal Offices in Bukalasa village who work with government officials to determine whose leases are due to expire and then seize the land without the tenants’ knowledge.
Wasswa claims that the same brokers issued land titles on their land before the lease expired, completely disregarding protocols that entail consulting the landowner.
Serwambala did not comment on the minister’s remarks. The affected land title holders could not be reached for comment.
In a fresh wave of land grabbing charges, some Luwero and Nakaseke district residents fear eviction. In most land battles, people emerge with titles without knowing who the land occupiers are.
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