Kikuube leaders blame Bunyoro kingdom for escalating land wrangles

Leaders of Kikuube District are faulting superintendents of Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom for allegedly being major contributors to the ongoing land rows rocking the region.

The leaders say the ensuing land battles between the kingdom, its subjects and encroachers is due to either the kingdom administrators and other stakeholders therein selling its land or giving it away to individuals or companies and organisations that have consequently acquired land titles well knowing that its subjects sit on it.

Mr Amlan Tumusiime, the Kikuube Resident District Commissioner (RDC), says the many cases of land grabbing in the district leave many unanswered questions as the relevant kingdom office bearers have not reacted to the call to have the matter resolved.

The RDC recently informed Lands State Minister, Dr Sam Mayanja, during his visit to the district, of the rampant land wrangles causing insecurity in the new administrative unit involving the kingdom and other parties with the former supposedly represented by certain inner circle people claiming encroachment.

The RDC said following the disputes involving the kingdom land, he had on several occasions approached the kingdom Prime Minister, Mr Andrew Kirungi Byakutaaga, for intervention and clarification, but all in vain.

It is against this backdrop that Mr Tumusiime called for the minister’s intervention to engage the kingdom administrators so the matter is resolved irrevocably.

“Hon Minister, the kingdom was not restored to oppress its subjects but to work for them because those people are the kingdom. If the kingdom is oppressive, then its subjects will hate it. This is what I always tell the kingdom’s Prime Minister. Pastor [also Prince] Kyebambe is claiming ownership of the land where he is attempting to evict a man in his 90s. He claims that the piece of land was used for various activities by Omukama Kabaleega, thus, belongs to him. This man does not have any supportive and proven document indicating that the land belongs to him. Hon Minister, I ask you and the government to intervene because 90% of the land in Kikuube is claimed by the kingdom,” Mr Tumusiime told the minister. 

The Kikuube district councillor for Kabwoya sub-county, Mr Alex Kabusomba Byensi, revealed before the minister that there were many unsubstantiated documents circulating in the district with the bearers purporting that they were given land by Omukama Dr Solomon Iguru.

He said land grabbers were using those uncorroborated documents to grab people’s land.

Such a scenario prompted the councillor to call for government intervention and investigate the matter.

“There are many uncorroborated documents which the bearers purport that were written by the kingdom Prime Minister. But to our surprise, such documents don’t bear any logo, stamp and Council Minute of the kingdom. These documents are written by residents pretending to be kingdom representatives. This matter has to be looked into since we are fed up with this paralysing situation,” Mr Byensi said.

Mr Juma Ibrahim Mugenyi, the Kiziramfumbi town council chairman, also blamed Bunyoro Kitara kingdom in the face of the minister poking holes in the cultural institution’s way of handling land disputes in the region.

He accused the kingdom of allegedly having an upper hand in fanning the disputes claiming that the cultural institution assists moguls to acquire chunks of land who ultimately evict people on claims of encroachment and illegal property ownership.

The politician wondered that despite their ability to go to the locus to address the challenge, Bunyoro kingdom officials have never taken any stride to the effect.

Mr Mugenyi urged the minister for lands to cause action so that the government salvages the poor from oppression.

“Our Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom institution has problems. You find someone owning a hill for 90 years but the kingdom comes and acquires a land title for it in the name of the king yet without seeing him there. Hon minister, the government controls the kingdom and, therefore, we request you to intervene. The very kingdom has caused us problems by giving away land and destroying the environment. We even don’t know if the king is aware of this! We want the kingdom officials to come here and we tell them our grievances like you have come but they can’t come!” Mr Mugenyi told the minister.

When contacted, the kingdom minister for natural resources, Mr Jackson Byaruhanga, declined to comment.

Some land wrangles in Kikuube district involving Bunyoro Kitara kingdom include part of Bugoma Central Forest Reserve (CFR) where some residents claim to have bought hectares of land from the kingdom besides the dispute between the kingdom and the National Forestry Authority (NFA) with each party claiming ownership of the CFR.

The Musaijamukuru and Mukabara land disputes involving Prince Charles Ochaki Nyabongo who secured land titles for both hills and some parts of the neighbouring villages threaten to leave more than 400 households evicted.

In Kacungiro village, Buhimba sub-county, Prince Stephen Kyebambe reportedly grabbed 64 acres of land from Mr Anatoli Rugireitima, 93, claiming the land belongs to Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom.

Some officials and subjects of Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom on December 3, 2014, attacked and left more than 100 families homeless at Rwengabi village in Kaseeta parish, Kabwoya sub-county in preparation of Omukama Dr Solomon Iguru’s visit to the land which was culturally known as the kingdom’s hunting ground.

In the attack, more than 70 houses were torched down, domestic animals killed and some buildings of Rwengabi community school affected.

The kingdom is reported to have donated a big chunk of land to Hajji Mustapha Zaidi (MZ) in Nyangabi village, Kabwoya sub-county where more than 500 households were on the verge of eviction before the government reportedly opted to compensate him using money from the Land Fund to salvage the residents from the looming ejection.

The Kiswaza land dispute covering Kiziramfumbi and Kabwoya sub-counties left more than 500 people evicted by the now deceased Prince Herbert Rwakiswaza Kimera to pave the way for the sugarcane plantation and the establishment of Hoima Sugar factory.

The land belonging to Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom Buhaguzi County headquarters is occupied by people who claim that they bought it from the then Personal Private Secretary (PPS) to the Omukama.

In Hoima, the kingdom is cited in a land dispute at Kyakapeeya and Kikwatamiigo cells in Kicwamba ward, East Division, Hoima city. More than 2,000 households were sued by the family of the deceased Princess Victoria Kabagabu, daughter to Omukama Dr Solomon Iguru, under Civil Suit No. 2 of 2021 for purportedly encroaching on their more than 65 hectares of land.

The Rwampanga hill land dispute in Kitoba sub-county, Hoima district is another chaos in which more than 2,000 families are threatened with forceful eviction by a one Richard Juuko resident of Hoima and Kampala, claiming that he secured the land from Bunyoro Kitara kingdom for development. However, some residents claim that they have lived in the area that their ancestors occupied since 1930.

The land measuring an estimated 100 hectares covers parts of Rwampanga, Kitoba, Nyakafuunjo, Kisonde, Kihweza, Kiryangobe and Bukwara villages.

In Buraru sub-county, Hoima district, the kingdom battles with the NFA and residents with each claiming ownership of Kandanda-Ngobye CFR.

Also, the kingdom is cited in a land row with the NFA over Kaduku hill forest reserve in Masindi Port sub-county, Kiryandongo district with each claiming ownership.

In Buliisa district, Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom is also feuding with more than 200 people of Biiso town council claiming encroachment on its land.

The kingdom also claims that more than 200 people encroached on its land at Mazooba village in Nyansimbi parish, Birembo sub-county in Kakumiro district.

A renowned businessman in Kagadi district, Mr Patrick Zikanshagyiza, widely known as Zed, recently confessed that he has in possession a number of land titles belonging to Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom.

He demands Shs5b to return the land titles to Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom.