Busiro East Member of Parliament Medard Lubega Sseggona has asked Parliament to summon Prime Minister Robbinah Nabbanja and the two lands ministers; Judith Nabakooba and Sam Mayanja to explain why they are misusing their offices.
While speaking at the floor of Parliament on Tuesday, Sseggona said Article 238 of the constitution requires that there should be Uganda Land Commission (ULC) and must be appointed by the President. However, the minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Nabakooba purportedly suspended the commission and for the last one month it has not been in place.
“She suspended it unilaterally and without due process but that is not enough, a commission which is constitutional and members appointed by the President with approval of Parliament has no provision of intervention or interference by the Minister,” he added.
He also informed the House that a week earlier, Minister Nabakooba’s deputy, the Minister of State for Lands Mayanja went to Wakiso zonal offices, closed them, locked out staff and fired them temporarily.
“Right Honorable Speaker and colleagues, just today a video was circulating on social media that our Prime Minister Nabbanja had grabbed land from the orphans which they had occupied prior to their fathers’ death. She did not stop there, she sent a contingency of military officers, sealed off the land and fenced it off. These young orphans have walked to Police and have not received assistance not even recording a reference,”Ssegona said.
Although the constitution and the land act give the commission independent powers to carry out its duties, Sseggona accuses Minister Nabakooba of taking over the functions of the commission.
“The minister went ahead and said in the meantime she shall herself execute the functions of the commission. My prayer is for the Prime minister and her two ministers to appear in Parliament and explain their egregious abuse of their power. Also, for Parliament to compel the ministry to reinstate the commission because the suspension is illegal.”
Sseggona’s plea comes after a few weeks when Nabakooba suspended ULC bosses including chairperson Beatrice Byenkya Nyakaisiki citing “an administrative standoff” fueled by corruption and bickering over deals.
The suspension came after fruitless attempts to reconcile the chairperson and her commissioners. Then the minister decided to suspend all commissioners and invoked Section 55 of the Land Act which gives her mandate to give policy direction to ULC on any matter.
In a letter she wrote the President, Nabakooba said, “I decided to temporarily assume the duties of managing the Commission as we establish the true genesis of the problem.”
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