President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has directed landlords to stop illegal evictions of bibanja holders. The president also ordered landlords who have been collecting excessive nominal rent fees (obusuulu) nust return it to bibanja holders immediately or risk being arrested.
Speaking at the 35th Heroes’ Day celebrations held on 9th June, 2024 at Mpenja Church of Uganda Primary School playgrounds, Mpenja Sub-county, Gomba District, the President said the issue of the Landlords and bibanja holders was resolved in the Constituent Assembly (CA) and also in the Land Act of 1998.
“We said a landlord has no power to evict a kibanja person especially the one who was on that plot of land (Kibanja) by 1983. The only thing was to provide some nominal rent (busuulu) and that was to be fixed by the district land boards. The landlords must accept what we agreed in 1995 because Idi Amin had actually abolished mailo land but we restored ownership in order to allow a win-win situation, but these landlords don’t listen to the NRM and they think it’s a joke,” the President said.
“The landlords who have been charging more than the agreed busuulu fees by the district must return it back, and if they try to evict our people, we shall arrest them. You must pay back all the money you have taken from these people and the evictions are illegal,” H.E Museveni emphasized.
The Heroes Day celebration were held under the theme: “Hail Our Heroes: A Secure Uganda Is Now Reality”,
It should be recalled that in 1995, a new constitution was established, and land rights were clarified, which stated that the land in Uganda belonged to its people, and reinstated private land ownership. President Museveni was however dismayed to learn that landlords have decided to ignore the agreed upon nominal fees paid by the bibanja holders on their land and are going ahead to evict them.
According to Gomba District LC5 chairperson, Mr. Kiviiri Geoffrey, the approved nominal fees paid to the landlords is Shs10,000 per year but landlords have refused such payments leading to the increasing land wrangles in the area. The President said new policies will be put in place to safeguard this.
“Maybe what we have to resolve in the NRM parliamentary caucus is to provide that if the landlords don’t accept the rent fees, it (rent) should be taken and kept at the sub county. All this suffering is not following what was put in the law,” H.E Museveni directed.
He further asked the Resident District Commissioner-RDC for Gomba,Ms. Harriet Nakamya to record all those under threat of eviction due to the nominal fees and see how to resolve the matter with their landlords.
At the same ceremony, the Minister for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Hon. Judith Nabakooba gave out land titles to 446 people of Kanoni, Gomba, courtesy of the government through the Land Fund.
