Makerere University Don Professor Mwambutsya Ndebesa has revealed why he supports both President Yoweri Museveni and Buganda Kingdom’s Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi on the land question.
Prof Ndebesa says he supports Museveni on assertion that there is land injustice in Buganda which needs to be addressed and on theother hand he supports Kabaka Mutebi over his query why Museveni only focuses on Buganda yet there’s land injustice also in other parts of Uganda.
“There are rampant land evictions in Buganda. This is not only on Mailo Land but also on public land in Buganda. Infact some land buyers prefer to buy Mailo Land to public land because public land formally crown land in Buganda has more incumbrances than Mailo. So the issue of land injustice is not just about Mailo Land per se,”the Senior Lecturer of History said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
“Land evictions whether in Buganda, Bunyoro, Acholi or Karamoja constitute land injustice that should be addressed. The one of Karamoja is even worse or the most evil to use Museveni’s word. The lang grabbers in Karamoja are not just grabbing land on the surface but even minerals. If you went to the land registry you will find people who are not karamajong but from elsewhere who have grabbed and registered land there that has minirals,”he added.
Speaking at his 28th coronation anniversary ceremony held at Nkoni Palace in Lwengo District on Saturday, the Kabaka said it is appalling that whereas other areas too have land, it is only that in Buganda being targeted by different people.
“We condemn those who deliberately create a situation to derail us from reminding government on what belongs to us. We have heard many people discuss about land in Buganda and many have said it is curtailing Uganda’s development. This is not true. Those who say this want to weaken the kingdom of Buganda,” Kabaka said.
Recently, Museveni described mailo land as an evil tenure system and that its one of the causes of land wrangles in Uganda.
“It’s not anywhere else in Uganda. It is really very bad and not fair but some people support it. How do you allow these things to happen? Land owners should be entitled to full ownership of their land like elsewhere in Uganda. In Ankole, nobody can chase you away from your land. You even fear,”Museveni said during Heroes day celebrations in June.
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