The residents also accused Buvuma Resident District Commissioner Hajat Hawa Ndege and Assistant RDC Fred Singoma of siding with Mutabwire, alleging that the RDC’s office has summoned occupants and instructed them to vacate the land on grounds that it belongs to the former Permanent Secretary.
More than 1,500 residents in Buvuma District have accused former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government Patrick Mutabwire of fraudulently acquiring land titles over ancestral land occupied by indigenous communities, triggering fears of mass evictions across at least eight villages.
The allegations were raised during a stakeholders’ meeting convened by State Minister for Fisheries and Buvuma Member of Parliament Robert Migadde Ndugwa at the Buvuma County headquarters in Maggyo Village, Nairambi Sub-county.
Residents say they and their ancestors have occupied the disputed land for generations, with some families claiming more than 600 years of uninterrupted settlement. They accuse Mutabwire and several other individuals of illegally obtaining land titles over land occupied by bona fide residents on public land, contrary to Uganda’s land laws.
According to a petition presented by residents’ representative Zebio Wasswa, Mutabwire, former Buvuma Town Council Chairperson Hilary Ssimbwa, and several others allegedly secured the titles without following the legal procedures governing land acquisition.
The petition also names Christine Tugume, Claire Birungi, Grace Kalyesubula, John Bosco Bbosa, Kalyesubula Fenekansi, Cate Nabbosa, Allan Kalumba, Rogers Sserugwa and Patrick Kiwuuwa among those claiming ownership of the contested land.
Residents further alleged that some of the title holders have advertised the land for sale on TikTok and other social media platforms at prices ranging from sh2m to sh4m per acre, well below the prevailing market value in Buvuma.
The disputed land stretches across the villages of Munyama, Busoka, Kekejje, Bugongo, Kisima and Bugema, among others, with residents warning that entire communities, including ancestral burial grounds, are at risk of being wiped out through evictions.
The residents also accused Buvuma Resident District Commissioner Hajat Hawa Ndege and Assistant RDC Fred Singoma of siding with Mutabwire, alleging that the RDC’s office has summoned occupants and instructed them to vacate the land on grounds that it belongs to the former Permanent Secretary.
Among those accusing the RDC Ndege is Francis Tugezeeko, son of former Nairambi Sub-county Chairperson and former Buvuma District Council Speaker Sarafin Namuyimba, who said the land has remained in his family for generations.
“This has been ancestral land passed down through more than six generations. Anyone claiming ownership of it must have acquired it fraudulently,” Tugezeeko said.
He said RDC Ndege summoned him to her office and instructed him to vacate the land, saying it belonged to Mutabwire.
“When I received the summons from the RDC, I asked my father to accompany me because he is the one who allocated me that piece of land after inheriting it from my grandfather. It is ancestral land that has been passed down through generations. It was shocking and disheartening to hear the RDC claim that the land belonged to someone else,” he said.
Another resident, Herman Kigongo, said attempts to trace the origin of some of the land titles revealed that they allegedly extend into protected forests and wetlands, raising fresh concerns about how they were processed.
The Buganda Kingdom has also joined the dispute. Buvuma County Chief Mbuubi Michael Mboowa said some of the contested titles appear to overlap with Kabaka’s land. Lawyers representing the Kingdom told the meeting that preliminary investigations had uncovered irregularities and pledged legal support to residents seeking cancellation of any unlawfully acquired titles.
Buvuma Woman MP Judith Naggujja urged residents to remain united and calm, assuring them that their elected leaders would continue engaging the relevant authorities to resolve the dispute.
Minister Migadde disclosed that some of the alleged title holders had previously approached him with offers to sell the disputed land.
“They told me they had over 1,000 acres of land without any encumbrances. I told them it is impossible to have more than 10 acres of land in this area without tenants,” Migadde said.
He said he later referred the matter to the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, which dispatched a technical team led by Principal Land Officer Rose Bako to investigate the complaints.
According to Migadde, the ministry’s preliminary findings point to apparent irregularities in the issuance of the disputed titles.
Migadde also criticized the absence of the RDC’s office from the meeting despite having been invited.
“It is unfortunate that the RDC’s office—including the RDC, the Deputy RDC and the Assistant RDCs—has not been represented in this meeting, despite the office playing a central role in a matter that threatens the security and livelihoods of nearly 2,000 people living on the affected land. We will seek redress from their appointing authority before the situation deteriorates further,” he said.
Bako told the meeting that the applications seeking the formation of the land titles in question were processed through the Mukono District Land Board in 2013 despite Buvuma becoming an independent district in 2010, raising questions about the legality of the process.
She said investigations are ongoing and assured residents that any land titles found to have been obtained unlawfully would be recommended for cancellation.
Responding by telephone, RDC Hawa Ndege denied allegations that she had taken sides in the dispute, saying she was unable to attend the meeting because she was caring for her critically ill father.
Mutabwire also dismissed the accusations, insisting that he lawfully acquired the land. He argued that following the government’s palm oil-growing programme, many people were displaced as landlords sold the land to government forcing them to look for settlement elsewhere. He says such people are now attempting to claim ownership of land which does not belong to them.
However, residents remain adamant that they are the rightful occupants and have appealed to the government to protect them from eviction.
For 74-year-old Teddy Nankanja, the dispute is about more than land ownership.
“I was born here. My grandparents and parents are buried here. I want these land titles cancelled so that I can die knowing my grandchildren will not be forced to leave or even exhume the graves of our ancestors,” she said.
“I have lived on this land for 54 years of my marriage and we have never been disturbed,” said Nalongo Katende Girigooli. “It is only recently that we have started seeing strangers bringing potential buyers to inspect the land where we have lived all these years.”
Bugongo Village LC1 Chairperson Ben Muwera said it was shocking to see people emerge claiming ownership of land where he has lived for 64 years.
“I have served as village chairperson for 30 years and had never seen these people until recently,” he said. “We appeal to the government to protect us.”
