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.
