Mubende councillors task district chairman to table evidence in Kabaka land row

Mubende councillors have raised concerns over mixed reactions emanating from Buganda Kingdom and the district leadership over a contested prime land.

District chairman Michael Ntambi and Mengo representatives have been at loggerheads with each side claiming legal rights to the land situated in Kaweeri where both kingdom and the district headquarters are located.

Ntambil last year assured the councillors that the district owns the land, a claim that Buganda's representative Luwekula Nantaayi has protested.

Nantaayi even filed her protests to Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga during his visit to Buwekula in February.

While opening the district council calendar year, the councillors exhibited total confusion on who owns the land but, surprisingly, Ntambi contradicted himself and revealed that the district has a lease on the contested land instead of full ownership as he earlier stated.

Nsengiyunva Kabanda, a councillor for Kaloonga Town Council, tasked Ntambi to avail the council with the documents, saying he could no longer trust the chairman's words.

He said Ntambi keeps giving out different responses about the ownership of the land.

"I am totally confused because last year you told this honourable council that we own this land and we requested for the land title but nothing was given to us and today we are told that the district has a lease on Buganda land, now who is fooling who?" Kabanda asked.

 

Margaret Navubya, a councillor representing Kiyuni Subcounty, accused Ntambi of lack of respect for Buganda Kingdom and of speaking without facts.

She also apologised to Mengo on behalf of the district council, saying the land row was a misunderstanding caused by Chairman Ntambi.

"It's real disrespecting for the district chairperson to always create enemies yet we all know that Kaweeri land is owned by Buganda," Navubya said.

Other councillors, including Vicent Tumusiime Kissanja, told Nile Post that they have never paid ground rent to Buganda and yet all the way district leaders have been emphasising people to be submissive to their landlords.

"It's unfortunate that we the leaders of Mubende we are giving a bad image to the nation if we fail to respect our landlord Buganda," he said.