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Expedite land related matters in our courts to tame escalating forced land evictions – Buganda King.

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3 years ago

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A photo of the King of Buganda, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II.

By Witness Radio Team.

As evictions continue to rise in Uganda, affected local communities frequently turn to the courts of law in search of legal remedies. However, the outcomes of these legal actions are often disheartening.

This unfortunate trend encompasses a range of issues, including prolonged court proceedings, decisions that favor wealthy and politically connected individuals and other challenges.

An example can be drawn to Kaweeri coffee victims. It is now 22 years since Peter Kayiira and his community of over 4000 people were forcefully evicted from their land by soldiers from Uganda People’s Defense Forces and police personnel to pave the way for a largescale coffee plantation in Kaweeri, Mubende district without a court order or alternative settlement.

Victim communities ran to court to get justice, but the pursuit has never succeeded, and communities remain at the mercy of God.

On a fateful day in 2001, bulldozers under the protection army and anti-riot police destroyed settlements of villagers in Kaweeri to clear the area for coffee growing. Property worth millions and cultural sites got demolished.

In their quest to regain their land and compensation for the damages that occurred during the evictions, some locals represented by Mwesigwa Rukutana filed a petition in the High Court in 2001.

On March 28, 2013, High Court Judge Anup Singh Choudry ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and awarded them Shs37b, about USD 10.6 million. However, this ruling was subsequently applealed against. In July 2015, the Court of Appeal in Kampala overturned the initial judgment and ordered a retrial at the High Court under a different judge.

On July 2, 2019, the plaintiffs appeared before High Court judge Henry Kaweesa who ordered mediation. Mr. Kayiira adds that on December 16, 2019, Uganda government agreed to compensate them but without interest, a tune of Uganda shillings 3.8 billion.

He added that upon the decision, two groups developed; one of 258 families that consented to this agreement and another 153 families rejected the compensation.

“The initial group of claimants who agreed to the compensation terms entered into a consent judgment with the Government. This agreement stipulated that they would compensate, and the terms were to be fulfilled during the financial year 2021-2022. Despite the signing of agreements, the government has not fulfilled any of the agreements.” He added while speaking to Witness Radio.

But those who declined the compensation because it was very little compared with what they lost in the illegal evictions chose to pursue further with the case. The High Court ordered them to amend their pleadings, which fulfilled. Their case will be coming to the High Court in Mubende for the first time on September 6th, 2023.

Numerous communities in Uganda have encountered prolonged delays if it’s a land related matter in Ugandan Courts of law. However, these pose significant negative impacts on individuals and communities negatively impacted by irresponsible businesses.

While opening the 31st sitting of Buganda Kingdom parliament (Lukiiko) at Mengo – Kampala, His Majesty the King of Buganda, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, called upon Uganda’s Judiciary to prioritize and expedite land related matters.

Buganda is a Bantu kingdom within Uganda of the Baganda people, which is one of the largest traditional kingdoms in present-day in East Africa.

“We know many people continue to face illegal land eviction issues. Regrettably when they seek justice, the process is often prolonged, causing significant delays in delivering rulings on these crucial land cases. Our earnest appeal is for the courts to expedite the hearings and resolutions of such cases,” reiterated the King.

Witness Radio has observed that due to the prolonged delays in court proceedings, a distressing outcome is that many individuals eventually opt to abandon their court cases, which stems from a lack of confidence in the judicial system.

“Majority of land cases in court are not only pro-longed but very expensive to already wounded community. Witness Radio – Uganda welcomes the King’s voice of concern in the on-going struggle for justice of poor communities impacted negatively by investments.” Said a researcher at Witness Radio – Uganda.

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Mpigi Land Committee Seeks Cancellation Of Titles On Buyala Waste Site

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15 hours ago

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September 21, 2026

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The Mpigi District Land Committee has recommended the cancellation of three land titles issued on a 230-acre piece of land in Buyala, which the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) had acquired for waste disposal.

The committee’s recommendation follows investigations indicating that the disputed land formed part of the Buvuma Forest Central Reserve, which was reportedly gazetted as a forest reserve in 1945.

The investigation found that three titles were issued to private individuals in 2015 by officials of the Mpigi District Land Board.

The individuals later reportedly sold the land to another buyer in 2025, who subsequently sold it to KCCA for use as a waste disposal site.

Charles Tomusange Ssebuggwawo, the chairperson of the Mpigi District Land Committee, said the committee had written to the Commissioner for Land Registration at the Ministry of Lands seeking clarification and action on the titles.

“We have written to the Commissioner for Land Registration regarding the land in Buyala and the titles that were issued on it,” Ssebuggwawo said.

KCCA acquired the land as it searched for an alternative waste disposal site following the collapse of the Kiteezi landfill in July 2024.

The disaster occurred when a massive garbage heap collapsed and swept into neighbouring homes, killing more than 30 people.

However, the proposed use of the Buyala land was halted by President Museveni, who raised concerns about disposing of garbage near Namwabula village in Nsujjumpolwe Parish, Kiringente Sub-county, where the government is developing a major fuel storage facility.

The proposed facility is expected to have a storage capacity of about 320 million litres, making it one of the largest fuel storage facilities in Uganda.

The land dispute comes as KCCA continues efforts to secure a permanent alternative to Kiteezi landfill, whose collapse heightened concerns over waste management and public safety in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area.

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MEDIA FOR CHANGE NETWORK

How land divisions are fueling Wakiso’s slums

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24 hours ago

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September 21, 2026

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The rapid transformation of Wakiso District from a largely rural setting to an urban extension of Kampala City has caused an emergence and expansion of informal settlements.
Across the district, rising demand for affordable land, population growth, rural-urban migration and increasing land values are pushing residents into densely populated neighbourhoods, where planning, access roads, drainage and housing standards are inadequate.
Ms Ruth Nakatudde, the Wakiso District principal physical planner, says the growth of informal settlements is being driven by demographic and economic pressures, with land fragmentation emerging as one of the major contributors.

“Everyone is looking for an affordable plot of land for settlement. They want to stay near Kampala, probably where they are employed or operating their businesses,” she explains.
Wakiso’s close proximity to Kampala has made it particularly attractive to people who work in the capital, but cannot afford to live there.
Ms Nakatudde says Wakiso Sub-county, one of the 17 sub-counties in the district, is among the fastest-growing areas because of its closeness to Kampala.
“People choose to stay here (in Wakiso) because they want to reduce transportation costs,” she says.

Source: monitor.co.ug

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MEDIA FOR CHANGE NETWORK

One killed, another injured as residents resist arrest over disputed Wakiso land

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24 hours ago

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September 21, 2026

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One person was on Thursday shot dead and another injured after police opened fire to quell a group of rowdy residents who attempted to resist the arrest of a colleague following a dispute of land in Kataluko Village, Lukwanga, Wakiso District.

The deceased, identified as Joseph Ssenyondo, 40, a bricklayer, died while being rushed to St Joseph Hospital for treatment after being hit by a bullet from armed police officers who were deployed at the scene.

Eyewitnesses say Ssenyondo, who was randomly passing by the scene, was pronounced dead on arrival at the health facility, while Jacob Nsubuga Wasswa remains admitted at Mulago National Referral Hospital.

The officers from Bukasa Police Station had gone to the area with the intent to arrest one of the residents accused of assault over a land-related conflict when the residents tried to remove him from them, prompting the violent retaliation.

“The issue is about land. Someone had been arrested, and he cried for help, so we, the residents, came to rescue him. When police officers at the scene saw us, they fired three bullets; one hit the Ssenyondo, another injured one person, while the third did not hit anyone,” an eyewitness said.

Residents accused Mr Ssebanakitta of fueling land conflicts in the area through unscrupulous dealings, something he adamantly rejected.

He instead explained that the piece of land in question had been sold and that the buyer had started using the property before a group of people allegedly assaulted him, took his money and mobile phone, prompting him to report the matter to police.

“The owner had started using his place, but they came, assaulted him, and took his money and phone. He went to the police and reported the matter. They had now been traced so they could go and make statements,” Mr Ssebanakitta, a land dealer in the area, said.

Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, Ms Racheal Kawala, confirmed the shooting and said investigations had started.

She explained police officers had gone to the area following a complaint related to a land dispute, but a confrontation with some residents erupted at the scene.

“We have started investigating the fracas that occurred in Lukwanga, which is related to land,” Ms Kawala said.

She added that police officers were at the scene when the confrontation broke out and that they fired shots to disperse the crowd.
“In the process of dispersing the crowd, our officers fired the bullet that accidentally hit a resident,” she said.

Ms Kawala said the police officer responsible for the shooting would be arrested as investigations continue.

The incident adds to a growing record of violence and confrontations linked to land disputes in Wakiso and other parts of the country.

In February this year, Tom Kato, a resident of Kibujjo-Seeta in Bembe Parish, Namayumba Sub-county, Wakiso District, was killed by unknown people in circumstances linked to a family land dispute. Police arrested his wife as investigations continued, but the family has yet to get justice.

In another incident, a resident of Buwanuka village in Namayumba Sub-county accused police and local leaders of conniving with a land surveyor in a dispute involving more than 1,000 residents on a contested 1,044.9-acre piece of land.

Source: monitor.co.ug

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