CSOS CRY OUT ON LAND TITLES

By LILIAN NAMAGEMBE

KAMPALA.

Civil Society Organisations(CSOs) have raised concerns over the unlawful issuance of land titles on land customarily owned in the Albertine Graben. The CSOs say this has orchestrated land grabbing in the area.

They pointed at the district land committees which they accuse of conniving with the area land committees of issuing titles to rich investors some of whom are foreigners on land that is customarily owned.

The land issues by CSOs were raised during a multi-stake holder policy dialogue on land grabbing and oil-based injustice in the Albertine region yesterday organised by Transparency International Uganda in partnership with CRED.

Mr Bashir Twesigye, the executive director of Civic Response on Environment and Development (CRED) said more than 20,000 households have been evicted from their land and forced into camps since the discovery of oil in the Albertine Graben in 2006.

Mr Twesigye said they have evidence of land titles which were issued by the respective district land boards to rich investors after recommendations from the area land committees.

“A case in point is that of two incidences in Rwanutunga and Kiryamboga villages both in Hoima District where more than 1,200 households and 300 households respectively were evicted from their land which they had occupied for more than 49 years,” Mr Twesigye said.

He added: “On intervention to help the poor residents, we found out that the evictors had used land titles which were issued by the district land boards in the two villages to evict the original owners of the controversial land.”

Mr Peter Wandera, the executive director of Transparency International Uganda, an anti-corruption advocacy organisation, showed the need for government to strengthen the district land boards and tackle the loopholes there in.

“Government needs to put stringent rules to get rid of the corruption tendencies by the district land boards who have played a big role in violating customary land rights of the residents instead of protecting them,”

Mr Dennis Obbo, the principal Information Scientist Ministry of Lands, said government was aware of the concerns and that it has launched a committee to investigate the issuance of the fraudulent land titles.

The dialogue also saw the launch of a report titled “Up Against Giants” Oil-Influenced land injustices in the Albertine Graben in Uganda by CRED in partnership with other human rights bodies.

CREDIT: DAILY MONITOR