By witnessradio.org Team
A certificate of private mailo title of land with over 3000 inhabitants at Kambuye village were forcefully evicted using a forged land certificate, created and changed three times in an hour on 10th/01/2018 while the current land owner’s transfer date is not registered, witnessradio.org has learnt. The land is registered on block 168, plot 28, East Division, Buwekula county, Mubende municipality, Mubende district.
According to details on certificate of title, the first person Sipiriyane Mutagwanya bought land from nobody, registered it on 10th/01/2018 at 10:15am. He owned it for 15 minutes before selling it to the second owner Sepiriya M. Bukenya Mutagwanya who transferred the title into his names on 10th/01/2018 at 10:30am. He barely owned it for 5 minutes and sold it to a third person S. Lubega Waggwa who transferred it into his name on 10th/01/2018 at 10:35am. Meanwhile, Kaweesi George who claims to be the latest owner, posses un dated registered transfer documents
The 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda recognises four land tenure systems namely; customary; freehold; mailo; and leasehold. Land under Mailo tenure is where land is registered and owned in eternity or perpetuity with its holder having a land title for it.
On April, 17th, 2018, owners number 3 and number 4 before justice Joseph Mulangira at Mubende High Court entered into a consent order to open land boundaries to ascertain its acreage. However, the land being targeted was “offered” to the former inhabitants of the land of Kaweri Coffee Plantation.
Since October, 2018 with protection from Mubende police, Kaweesi George instead brought onto the land stick-welding and causal laborers armed with pangas to carry out a forceful land eviction.
In an effort to defend their land rights, a fight ensued between native community and Kaweesi’s agents which resulted into death of one Yunusu Tabu (manager for casual laborers) and caused serious injuries on members of either party.
Apparently, a selective arrest of 28 people including two staff members of witnessradio.org was conducted and taken to court, charged with nine counts including murder and aggravated robbery.
