The Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga has said President Museveni's recent comments on mailo land are not premised on what is on ground.
President Museveni, during the Heroes Day celebrations at Kololo last month expressed dismay at the century long ‘‘very bad’’ Mailo land tenure system used in Buganda kingdom stating that it’s ''an evil system.''
In his own words, the president said: "It (mailo land) is really very bad and not fair but some people support it. How do you allow these things to happen?"
In an exclusive interview with NBS Television however, Mayiga said mailo land, for starters, is not only in Buganda like the president said.
“It [mailo land] is predominant here but it is in Ankole, it is in Tooro, it is in Mbale. Mailo land is not only in Buganda," Mayiga said.
Mayiga said that the president, like anyone else, is entitled to an opinion, but the opinion on mailo land is actually what is on ground.
Mayiga said that the mailo land system in Buganda is ‘akin to the free hold system’ and with that, he does not see where the said ‘evil’ comes from.
"The only difference is that at the inception of the land registration under the 1900 Buganda agreement, the free hold tenure system conditions you to a particular purpose for which that land was being registered in your names," Mayiga said.
Asked if he thinks that there are any hidden intentions against mailo land from leaders in the central government, katikkiro said that he did not know.
He said that land is very central to the cultural heritage of the people of Buganda and whoever wants to dismantle the mailo land system, it is as if they want to deal a blow to a given amount of the Baganda’s cultural heritage.
"Land is very central, that is reason the clan head is called omutaka, it is in reference to land. That is why the Kabaka is called Sabataka, the head of clan heads. So there is a relationship between land and the way of life of a Muganda," Mayiga said.
He said his office had identified seven key issues that should be addressed instead of focusing on the mailo land and how it works.
"One of them is land registries allover the country, someone who has got money can easily get a certificate of title over your own land, two is the police land unit which is ineffective, three the courts of law, am a lawyer and I know lawyers who have chased land cases for over ten years, four - population explosion, five - land has lost nutrients, six - corruption and seven- politically interference," he said.
