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This paper reports part of the findings of the study which was carried out in Nakaseke district, one of the districts in Buganda sub region. It was carried out in November-December 2022 to assess the issue of land-related wrangles, hereinafter referred to as the land question between the year 1995 and 2013. The time scope was chosen for being the height of land wrangles in Nakaseke yet the Supreme law of Uganda which came in force in 1995 gives security of tenure to the people holding untitled land (the tenants or bibanja holders).Specifically, the study was done to investigate, among other things, the role of politicians in the land question in Nakaseke district, Buganda sub region. The study used a historical design with qualitative approach. Seventy respondents participated in the study. Out of the seven sub counties in the district, the data was collected using oral interviews and focused group discussions with people from four Sub Counties of Kasangombe, Kapeeka, Wakyato and Ngoma where land grabbing and evictions are the order of the day. The findings were that a relatively large number of politicians and powerful businessmen have bought land in Nakaseke district and they usually use security agencies to evict tenants. However, one Politician, Hon. Luttamaguzi, the Member of Parliament for Nakaseke South Constituency was praised by the locals for fighting for the tenants’ rights. As per the findings of the study, the 1900 Buganda Agreement which distributed Buganda’s land among a few people like the Kabaka (King), the royal family, the chiefs, the religious groups, as well as the Crown government, has a bearing on the land-related problems in Nakaseke district. This is because, some of the land is of Mailo type (permanent possession of some individuals and the Kabaka) yet other pieces of land are under the government (District land Board). A few people and organizations hold land titles for Mailo land, freehold and lease hold. The majority of the people do not have land titles; they are squatters (bibanja holders) on the land belonging to a few people and organizations. As a result, some of those with land titles use threats and intimidation to evict tenants. Many land lords especially the new ones are rich and hence bribe courts of law to pass/make judgments in their favour and hence evict tenants. Other landlords use the police and security agencies to intimidate and evict tenants. Land evictions has taken place and is continuing to take place in many villages of Nakaseke district like Balatira, Lukumbi, Nandeya, Kabira, Muzimbo, Mannywa, Ziramba, Kansiri, Luzingu, Mizimbo, Kasambya-Lukese and Nasenda, Kifamba, Muzimbo, Nkozi, Kasimbi, Kabogwe and Nkumale. It was reported that many powerful and un-touchable politicians and business men have bought land in Nakaseke district since, until recently, the land was very cheap. By the year 2015 for example, an acre of land was at about sh. 3,000,000 (three million shillings) or less yet Nakaseke is just 42 kilometres from Kampala, the capital of Uganda. These have played a negative role through evicting people sometimes without compensating them. Many new landlords evict people and turn the land into animal farms. They usually deliberately let the animals destroy tenants’ plantations so that the tenants can be frustrated and hence vacate. Others forcefully take three quarters of the squatters’ untitled land (bibanja) and hence the bibanja holders remain with a quarter or less of their original bibanjas so as to get land titles. Others are allegedly using Bukalasa land office to steal the aged or less ‘connected’ landlords’ land through forging signatures to transfer land ownership in their names without the knowledge of the original land owner. Although the powerful politicians and businessmen have benefitted by acquiring huge acreages of land which they later sell out and get abnormal profits, it has impacted negatively to the local tenants. They have lost their bibanjas which were their major source of food and household income. Poverty has followed and hatred between the landlords and tenants has increased. Dangerous tribal sentiments are building up as the people of Nakaseke assert that those taking land from them are from one region of Uganda. They assert that the land grabbers are not from Northern Uganda nor are they from the East; they are Museveni’s people. Such sentiments are dangerous as they have social and security implications. The 1994 genocide in Rwanda has roots in tribal-related sentiments. We must therefore fight such tribal sentiments by addressing the land problem, not by just intimidating people with threats of imprisonment for promoting sectarianism when the problem causer is not addressed. Therefore, the researcher bases on the above to argue and recommend that since it is the duty of the police and other security agencies to protect people and their property and ensure that law and order is maintained in the country, not to be used to intimidate peasants on land, the Police Act and UPDF Act should be revised to stipulate tougher punishments to those who involve themselves directly or indirectly in evicting tenants. To ensure implementation of the law, the President should sack at will anybody perceived not to be performing his/her duty of disciplining security operatives. In addition, since politicians, powerful businessmen and landlords usually bribe courts of law to make judgments in their favour, and since they hire powerful lawyers who confuse tenants, the law should be amended so that land complaints are handled by local courts only (L.C 1) without judges, magistrates and lawyers coming in. The local courts should be mandated to pass judgement when all the nine members of the L.C 1 court are around. If atleast three quarters of the L.C 1 court members agree on a particular side, that side/party should be the winner of the case. The government through the Legislature (Parliament) should also amend the law on land so that all the land can be of freehold nature and that whoever owns a plot of land must be given certificate of ownership by the Central government as proof that he/she owns that land perpetually (though he/she can sell it at will and transfer ownership to the buyer) provided that he/she is a Ugandan. For the sake of promoting industrialization and large investments, the law can allow the government to take people’s land after compensating them five times the current value of their land so that they can happily go away and buy land elsewhere or make big investments. Lastly, in Uganda’s politics, the head of state practically has a lot of power and authority. He has the capacity to cause whatever he wants in the country to happen. The President therefore has the capacity to cause land evictions and grabbing to stop if he wishes. Given the increasing land grabbing and evictions in Nakaseke and other areas of Uganda yet the President barks at the land grabbers and attempts to stop them from evicting people but they do not listen to him, it is an indicator of something; Either he has grown old and can nolonger manage his people or he is barking for formality just to please the voters. If he can nolonger manage, this study recommends that Ugandans vote another leader they feel can manage better. |