Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has tasked the people of Bunyangabu District on the importance of addressing the issue of multiple rights on land noting that it affects the fight against poverty, food insecurity, among other limitations to development.
Nabbanja was officiating at the hand over of mailo land certificates to 4,000 4,000 families and 50 institutions that have graduated from being occupants on mailo land to now registered owners . The event that took place at Kibiito secondary school playground was also attended by the Minister of Land , Housing and Urban Development Ms. Judith Nabakooba .
Nabbanja said that by addressing the land question , government is protecting the land rights of the citizens which will lead to sustainable development, improved land management and security of tenure in both the rural and urban areas.
She explained that the NRM Manifesto promised to protect land owners countrywide by issuing them with a government document as part of reassuring them that no one can take their land from them.
“Indeed, this programme under the Land Fund goes hand in hand with PDM. That should motivate you to use your land productively especially since you have fertile soils and adequate rainfall. The “Kibalo” here should be to grow improved and fast maturing cash crops so as to join the cash economy as promised by the NRM government in the National Development Plan III,”she said.
The premier cautioned government officials against mishandling PDM funds and should instead encourage the residents to engage in productive activities since government is now freeing land from disputes due to multiple rights.
She tasked the leaders to facilitate the new land owners to use PDM funds to get out of subsistence livelihood.
“This programme under the Land Fund will continue until we address all these land conflicts throughout the country. For those that have received titles, there should be no land fragmentation as guided by President Yoweri Museveni.
You should only share what comes out of the land but not subdivide the land,” she said, adding that the government shall continue to provide all the necessary support and resources into the Land Fund as promised in the NRM Manifesto.
The land minister Judith Nabakooba said that the exercise to issue land titles to the vulnerable communities was a key NRM election manifesto programme promise -to sort out land disputes arising out of multiple interests on land.
She said that under the Parish Development Model (PDM) and under pillar one, which talks about production, storage, value addition and marketing, the new landlords are expected to use their land, which is free of disputes to undertake commercial agriculture that will get them out of poverty.
“I therefore congratulate all of you who are going to receive your titles today upon graduating from occupancy to land title holders. The land over which the 4,454 Mailo land titles are being issued today, formerly comprised land in Bunyangabu Block 44 Plot 20 measuring a total 3,155 acres or 5 square miles,” Nabakooba explained .
Nabakooba further stated that for the entire Tooro Sub-region, the government through the Land Fund has acquired a total of 30,370 acres equivalent to 48 Square Miles.
“In total, the government has used the Land Fund to acquire 334,458 acres equivalent to 523 Square Miles of land across the entire country as part of government strategy to stop illegal land evictions,” the Minister added.
About the land
The beneficiaries were formally occupants on land comprising Buyangabu Block 44 Plot 20 and Block 32 Plot 1, where the government has resolved the issue of multiple rights on the same piece of land.
The Land originally belonged to the Private Estate of Patrick David Mathew Kaboyo who was the Omukama of Tooro and later to Best Kemigisa (Administrator of the Estate of the Late Patrick David Mathew Kaboyo). Government paid the Queen Mother and transferred it to Uganda Land Commission on 19th February, 2009.
Another parcel on Block 32 Plot 1 belonging to Mustaq Abdulah Bhegani was also paid by government using the Land Fund and transferred into the names of Uganda Land Commission on May, 2, 2011.
The total number of certificates prepared for the beneficiaries is 4,454. These have been transferred into the names of the current occupants.
The number of beneficiaries comprising of Institutional land is 92. These include schools, health centres, markets, parks, faith based institutions, forests, wetlands and road reserves. These account for 2.1%.
The Females comprise 999, accounting for 22.4%; the total beneficiaries while the males comprise 3,143, comprising 70.6%.
The Joint ownership of female and male was 220, comprising 5.9% of the beneficiaries.
