Maverick seasoned lawyer and also the state minister in charge of lands in the Ministry of Lands Housing and Urban Development Dr Sam Mayanja has protested Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka’s fresh Shs560bn deal with Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi’s government.
In an exclusive interview with this website, Minister Mayanja insisted that Buganda Kingdom through Kabaka Mutebi are demanding nothing from President Museveni’s government and thus should not be given any compensation as they claim.
Mayanja made the said statements after Kiwanuka met officials from Buganda Kingdom led by their Attorney General Owekitiibwa Christopher Bwanika, Kabaka Mutebi’s younr brother Prince David Kintu Wasajja, Omukungu Kaboggoza Muwanga the Chief Executive Officer of Buganda Land Board and Omukungu Denis Bugaya the Chief Legal Officer and also the spokesperson of Buganda Land Board to strategise on how to settle the Shs560bn debt that Buganda Kingdom is demanding from the Central Government.
The meeting resulted from huge pressure that legislators representing Buganda regions in the parliament led by Joel Ssenyonyi the Leader of Opposition in parliament put on Museveni’s government to clear Buganda’s standing debt.
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The same demands were made by Buganda premier Owekitiibwa Charles Peter Mayiga and other religious leaders.
The amount of money that Buganda wants paid by government is as a result of accumulating uncleared rent arrears from the kingdom buildings which house government institutions and agencies.
Recently, the kingdom even threatened to evict government agencies from its buildings especially courts.
After the restoration of Buganda Kingdom in 1993, some properties were immediately returned to the Kingdom after long negotiations before the official restoration of cultural leadership which were abolished in 1966 by Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) government under the leadership of Dr Milton Obote.
Among the returned properties include; the Kingdom’s official estates for the Masaza (counties), Amagombolola (sub-counties), properties of chiefs, several markets, Makindye Military Barracks and the Court Martial, part of Mbuye Hospital, Bombo Military Hospital, Katebi Military Barracks, Nakasongola Radar Center, and Bukakata Air Force Training Ground and land in both urban and rural areas of Buganda.
Many of the Kingdom’s estates contain buildings currently rented by the central government.
In some cases, government has constructed on Kingdom land.
Following the signing of the 2013 agreements between Kabaka Mutebi and President Museveni, it was agreed upon that government must either rent, lease, purchase, or vacate these properties.
The central government is required to make payments for any buildings or land it uses, just like any other tenant and it was emphasized that Buganda Kingdom does not evict people from its land but rather, individuals and institutions are encouraged to follow proper procedures such as obtaining leases or formal agreements from the Kingdom.
This approach ensured a win–win situation since the Kingdom also has ongoing development projects like providing 18 tractors to each county, establishing Kabaka’s health camps and health centres, and offering scholarships. The Kingdom says that payments for the use of Kingdom properties are essential to support the day-to-day operations of the Kingdom.
The meeting with the Attorney General proceeded positively, with agreements reached on the processes and timelines for making rental payments.
They also agreed to hold regular meetings with the Attorney General’s office to monitor and ensure timely payments, reinforcing accountability and cooperation between Buganda Kingdom and the central government.
However, Mayanja states that the meeting which took place was illegal insisting that Kiwanuka is committing illegalities by advising the government to compensate and pay rent to Buganda Kingdom.
Mayanja says the said properties are owned by the central government not Buganda kingdom.
He explains that the said building housing government agencies were built by the central government during the colonial government rule using taxpayers money collected from Buganda and other parts of the country outside Buganda.
He adds that the 1967 Constitution declared the said properties as part of the assets of the government and that the constitution never declared them illegal.
“The agreement Museveni signed with Kabaka Mutebi is not yet rectified to be executed as Kiwanuka and officials from Buganda Kingdom claim.”
He insists that the president has to first establish a committee to verify and advise him on the properties owned by Buganda Kingdom and those not owned by the kingdom which has not yet been done.
