By Gilbert Akampa Kakurugu,
National
In a bid to resolve a long-standing dispute over land ownership, Parliament has directed the Uganda Land Commission to reopen the boundaries of a piece of land currently under dispute between the Uganda Police Force and the United Nations African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (UNAFRI). The move aims to accurately determine the rightful owners of the land.
The dispute arose after the government granted several organizations, including UNAFRI and the Ugandan Iranian Health Centre, leases with the understanding that they would develop the land and carry out their objectives as per the statute. However, a recent report by the Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Internal Affairs, led by Nyabushozi MP Wilson Kajwengye, revealed that UNAFRI and the Iranian Health Centre had breached the lease terms.
According to the committee’s findings, both UNAFRI and the Iranian Health Centre failed to utilize the land for the allocated purposes and instead sub-leased it to third parties. This violation prompted the Uganda Police Force to demand the return of its land for further management, as explained by MP Kajwengye.
The dispute has raised concerns about the misuse of public land and the need for accountability among leaseholders. The Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Internal Affairs has emphasized the importance of adhering to lease terms and utilizing land for its intended purposes.
