The State Minister for Lands, Sam Mayanja has reinstated 4,000 people to their land in five zones of Nakawa and Kira Municipality.
The land, which is contested by Police, National Housing and residents, has been a point of contention for many years.
Last year, Major General Geoffrey Tumusiime Katsigazi, the then Deputy Inspector General of Police, led the eviction of the people from the Kireka barracks land. The residents were deemed illegal occupants, and the joint operation with the army was marred by brutality and destruction of civilian properties worth billions.
The Kireka police barracks land evictions affected residents in more than five zones, including those in Kiganda zone, Kireka D, Acholi Quarters (Banda 1), Katoogo, Mbuya Kinawataka, and Kireka Kiganda, among others. The eviction was also marred by violence, which left at least four people dead during the clashes as residents resisted the eviction.
The State House Anti-Corruption Unit intervened and said that it would conduct thorough investigations to determine the rightful owner of the contested land.
On Thursday, Mayanja visited the affected residents in Katogo and shared the findings of the investigation into the disputed land. According to Mayanja, the report reveals that the land in question belongs to the National Housing and Construction Company Limited (NHCC), which acquired it from Kireka Estates Ltd back in the 1960s.
The report revealed that the evictions carried out by the Uganda Police Force were unlawful, as they didn’t follow the required legal procedures. Additionally, the Police were not the legitimate owners of the land, which further justified the illegality of the evictions.
Mayanja informed the evicted residents that they are still considered occupants of the land, given that some have lived there for over 12 years.
“The law says that if someone has been occupying a piece of land for a certain period, they will be protected from eviction. In this case, no one can chase you out of this land. They can only get you out of this land through the process of agreeing and working with National Housing, and they compensate you, and then you leave peacefully.” Mayanja said.
Mayanja instructed the evicted residents to return to their land and rebuild or reoccupy their homes with immediate effect.
