Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has tasked the people of Bunyangabu District on the importance of addressing the issue of multiple rights on land, saying it is the beginning of fighting poverty, food insecurity, among other limitations to development.
Nabbanja, who was speaking at the handover of mailo land titles to over 4,000 families and 50 institutions that have graduated from being occupants on mailo land to now registered owners on March 4 at Kibiito Secondary School Playground, said addressing the phenomenon 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 NDP 3,”she said.
The premier also cautioned government officials over mishandling PDM funds, saying the government is now freeing land from disputes due to multiple rights. She tasked the leaders to facilitate the new land owners using PDM funds to get out of subsistence livelihood.
“This programme under the Land Fund will continue until we address all these land conflicts in the country. For those that have received titles today, there should be no land fragmentation as guided by H.E the President. 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.
In her remarks, Lands minister Judith Nabakooba noted that the exercise is a key NRM election manifesto programme which will help sort out land disputes arising out of multiple interests on the one piece of land.
She said that the NRM government has brought in the Parish Development Model (PDM) and under Pillar number 1, 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,” she said.
Nabakooba explained 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,” she said.
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 for by the 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.
