Missing Mbarara district land titles saga deepens

Amos Tayebwa

Mbarara

Negligence, connivance by technocrats, political leaders and illegal land developers are to blame for the current Mbarara district missing land titles impasse.

Last week, the district Public Accounts Committee led by chairman Herbert Kamugisha, through Auditor’s report discovered that about four land titles went missing from some of the offices at Kamukuzi headquarters, Mbarara district.

The missing titles comprise Kamukuzi land measuring 10 hectares, Unicef land, Kakyeka Stadium land, and Bwizibwera land measuring 110 acres.

While appearing before district PAC, David Muhwezi, the current chief administrative officer (CAO) of Mbarara district, informed the committee that when he assumed the office in July 2023 in Mbarara, he handed over a parcel of photocopied land titles. On verification, it was discovered that seven original land titles were missing.

During the PAC meeting, it was also established that there is absence of the land title for Bwizibwera land which is situated in Bwizibwera -Rutooma Town Council where the district is planning to construct its headquarters. It is alleged that the land has been encroached on by the former LCV Chairman Fred Ibabaza Kamugira who allegedly used his influence as the then LCV boss and acquired a title for one acre within that same government land.

The committee also discovered that there is encroachment of the land where the current district headquarters at Kamukuzi is situated.

During the meeting, the CAO revealed that 20 plots out of the original 37 were allegedly grabbed and removed from the land title in the system, something that has made it difficult to obtain a special land title for Kamukuzi.

When Muhwezi was interrogated by the PAC members, he attributed the responsibility for the missing land titles to former CAO Edward Kasagara. The committee was also informed that Kasagara has committed to facilitate the recovery of some of the missing titles and he has already paid UGX. 11M for this purpose.

The PAC committee was not satisfied by Muhwezi’s explanation and directed him to get the original titles. He was also directed to write to relevant authorities like Statehouse Anti-corruption Unit, IGG against those people who have encroached on the government land and also to Commissioner lands to cancel illegal titles in Mbarara district land titles.

In a twist of events the Capt. John Bosco Tumusiime Bamuturaki, the former Mbarara District LC5 Chairman implicated the current regime led by his predecessor Didas Tabaro for the missing land titles.

“During my time all the land titles were safe. We tried and titled most of the lands at Kamukuzi and Bwizibwera. How can you tell me that the district can lose all those titles like that? I suspect maybe they wanted to illegally sell those lands to developers. This matter involves negligence, dubious deals and connivance between those top district political heads and some top officials in the technical wing,” said Bamuturaki.

“I left the office when all the titles were renewed, others changed into freehold in the names of the district, how did they disappear? Now, do you want to tell me that all the titles were just kept in one envelope?”

Bamuturaki has also revealed that there are some people who have been trying to grab forestry land in Bwizibwera until he landed on them and stopped them. He has vowed to deal with whoever tampers with forestry land that belongs to Mbarara district.