Buganda Land Board and clan leaders have agreed to deepen cooperation in managing cultural land following a consultative meeting that emphasized legal awareness, documentation, and the preservation of heritage land within the Kingdom.
The meeting, held as part of the monthly council of clan elders, brought together senior officials from the Buganda Land Board and traditional leaders tasked with overseeing ancestral land in their respective counties.
The discussions focused on curbing conflicts stemming from succession misunderstandings and unauthorized land transactions.
Buganda Land Board Deputy CEO Bashir Juma Kizito, who led the technical team, clarified that proper legal succession must occur before any individual can claim ownership of family property.
He explained that constructing a house or occupying it without formal succession does not amount to lawful inheritance.
“For instance, if a widow moves into the heir’s house, unless it is proven that she has been officially assigned that home, clearly indicating the value and status of the house, then such a move can be contested,” Kizito stated.
He further explained that in cases where land is registered jointly in two or more names, the surviving owner retains rights and only needs to present a death certificate for the deceased to be removed from the record. This, he said, reduces the burden of legal proceedings for families managing jointly held land.
The meeting also served as a platform for clan leaders to express concern over what they termed growing incidents of unauthorized sale and repurposing of ancestral land without adequate consultation.
The Chairperson of the Bataka Lukiiko, Namwama Augustine Kizito Mutumba demanded that the Buganda Land Board give cultural leaders a seat at the table when decisions on clan land are made so that they can sort increasing land wrangles.
"The clan leaders in the counties are decrying all these wrangles on the land they oversee. Most of them, though, were entrusted by the late Kings, but now lolicies have changed overtime," Omutaka Mutumba stated.
“These lands are not just property, they are part of our identity and history. We are custodians of this culture.”
The elders urged that any future plans to redevelop or alter culturally significant land must involve thorough consultation and consent from the rightful cultural stakeholders.
They also proposed that a formal report be compiled to document their views and provide a foundation for further engagement.
Responding to their queries, Kizito reassured the elders that the Buganda Land Board does not sell clan land and supports the proposal to formally identify, document, and preserve all land considered culturally significant.
He acknowledged the need to streamline collaboration and committed to ongoing dialogue.