Government through the ministry of lands has compensated businessman Medard Kiconco with Shs3.8 billion to leave the disputed land in Lusanja to squatters.
The land in question is located on Mpererwe-Kiteezi Road, Wakiso district.
On 12th October 2018, Kiconco with the help of court bailiffs evicted over 300 families. The controversial land eviction left many families homeless which caused a stir in the public domain attracting several politicians including President Museveni who made an impromptu visit to the site days after the incident.
Although the affected families and Civil Societies went to court seeking justice, the judgment which was delivered by the High Court judge, Justice Tadeo Asiimwe in October 2019 showed that Kiconco was the lawful owner of the land. It’s from this ruling that the government started planning to buy land in question from Kiconco so that it can be given back to the local people.
According to outgoing lands minister Persis Namuganza, Kiconco wanted the government to pay him Shs5.8 billion however through negotiations he accepted to be paid Shs3.8 billion as compensation.
“Our aim as government was to ensure that the people who were evicted get back their land, therefore each one is going to take his former part as we plan on how we shall design it. We have struggled to see that these people get justice and through the committee which was headed by Rt Hon Ruhakana Rugunda we decided that we pay the owner of the land.”
Namuganza added that the ministry is going to give out titles to the squatters to ensure their ownership.
“We are going to give them land titles but we have not yet decided how we are going to do it. We wouldn’t like to cut a lot of land titles, so we may cut out blocks so that they can be able to develop that land under urban planning format because we are fighting land fragmentation.”
On the matter of payment for the church land in Ndeeba which was demolished last year under the orders of another businessman Dodovico Mwanje, Namuganza confirmed that he refused the money the state was willing to pay him.
“For the case of Ndeeba church, the proclaiming owner refused to take the money, however, that is not an issue to us, as a government we decided that the church must remain on that land. And the president himself confirmed that the church must be reconstructed on that same land, if he wants to negotiate with the church it’s fine but for the case government’s stand on that issue, the land must be given to the church whether Dodovico takes money or not,” she said.
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