All is not well between the ‘ObwakyabazingaBwaBusoga’ (Busoga Kingdom) and the BusogaDioces with the latter accusing the traditional institution of trying to grab its land located at Bugembe Town Council just adjacent to the Bugembe Cathedral, Isaac Baligema reports.
The bad blood between the two institutions was unearthed when the commission of inquiry into lands team led by Hon. Frederick Ruhindi went to Jinja to follow up on the land related issues raised while the commission conducted public hearings in the district in June. The team was in the district for four days since Monday.
The commission sent out four teams led by various commissioners to follow up on several issues being investigated by the commission in the districts of Jinja, Gulu, Masaka and Hoima.
The Busoga Diocese Bishop Paul Moses Samson Naimanhye while meeting the team at the contested land, he revealed that the Church will never respect the Kingdom if the latter chooses to undermine the Church’s interests over the land.
“It is quite shocking that the Kingdom is choosing to act in a mafia-like style because the Church was given this land by the kingdom and it has been sitting on it for over 50 years now and has the title over the land! Now we wonder why these people are coming to take Church land,” a rather irritated Bishop said.
The commission picked interest in the matter after the Church’s estate manager Stephen Wako approached the team with a grossly injured left leg and revealed that he was beaten up by UPDF officers attached to the kingdom as he tried to stop them from facilitating the survey of Church land.
“They beat me up and dumped me at Bugembe Police Station where they accused me of trespassing on Kingdom land and as I talk to you now, I fear for my life because I do not know what will happen to me,” said a teary Wako.
While in Jinja, the commission team discovered that many of the directives it issued were never implemented and it is left with no option but to apply other stringent options.
Jinja land related issues are quite sticky and complex some include the Jinja District Land Board issuing freehold titles on existing leases and various individuals and institutions encroaching on government bodies’ land which include Uganda Railway Corporation, NARO and NFA.
Many land grabbers in the district use public figures names including the Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga, Gen. Salim Saleh, and the former Lands Minister Hon. DaudiMigereko among others.
The national reservoirs controllers Hared Petroleum owned by Somali nationals was mentioned as one of the prominent land grabber in the district and Hon. Ruhindi noted that the commission will summon the top management to answer a few questions.
Report by Isaac Baligema
