Attorney General Sam Mayanja has vowed to end the targeted intimidation of hundreds of Nubian households in Luweero District, warning that the government will no longer tolerate illegal land evictions driven by fraudulent titles and corrupt public officials.
Speaking to affected residents during a community meeting at Bembe Village in Bombo Town Council on Saturday, Mr. Mayanja addressed allegations that suspected land grabbers are using an illegally acquired title to force long-term occupants off land spanning Gogonya, Bembe Central, and Asuru villages.
The Attorney General criticized attempts to displace families who have lived on the land for over a century, noting that maneuvering land management systems with the help of corrupt officials is now untenable.
“It is unfortunate that somebody wants to evict people from three villages from land that households have owned for more than 100 years,” Mr. Mayanja said. “Somebody claims to have acquired this land using a land title registered in 2015, but the title presented is illegal. In 2024, the Ministry of Lands directed the Commissioner for Lands through the Lands Registry to remove this title from the Land Registry.”
He assured residents that his office would take swift action to enforce previous government directives regarding the property.
“My office will follow up the matter to find out why a land title that was made on top of an existing one has not been revoked despite the earlier directive. The impunity used by land grabbers must stop,” Mr. Mayanja added.
Local leaders explained that the dispute stems from individuals claiming ownership through fraudulent documentation created at the district level.
Mr. Sulaiman Kakembo, the Local Council chairperson for Gogonya Village, stated that individuals identifying themselves as Alex Male, Moses Katende, and Fred Musibira have remained invisible while using local agents to lay claim to the three villages using a title issued in 2015 at the Bukalasa Land Office in Luweero District.
“When we petitioned different offices, including the Luweero RDC and the State Minister for Lands in 2024, it was resolved that the three individuals presenting the title on Block 29, Plots 772 and 773 be arrested and the land title by Mr. Alex Male be struck off the Land Registry,” Mr. Kakembo told the meeting. “The directive has not seen the light of day despite our repeated follow-ups.”
Former Bombo Town Council representative to the Luweero District Council, Mr. Hussein Kato, emphasized that the area under dispute is historical public land occupied across generations.
“You cannot evict a man whose family has occupied land for more than 100 years,” Mr. Kato said. “Mzee Noor is above 85 years old and inherited this land from his father. This implies that the affected families have occupied the land for generations. It is illogical for people to claim to have acquired a new land title in 2015 in total disregard of the land acquisition guidelines that protect bonafide land occupants.”
Affected residents also voiced frustration over the ongoing distress caused by third-party agents claiming thousands of acres.
Mr. Abdallah Musa, a 79-year-old resident of Gogonya Village, stated that Mr. Alex Male claims ownership over more than two square miles covering Gogonya, Bembe Central, and Asuru villages.
“I was born at Gogonya Village in 1947 and have lived on land that I inherited from my father,” Mr. Musa said. “I was shocked when I received a notification from agents of Alex Male claiming ownership of land that we have occupied since my childhood. At the age of 79, one expects me to live on my land, yet the Constitution guarantees my occupancy as a bonafide land owner.”
When contacted for comment, Mr. James Ssembajwe, an agent representing Mr. Alex Male, defended their position and stated that the matter remains subject to ongoing court proceedings.
“The matter is before the courts of law,” Mr. Ssembajwe said. “My bosses reached out to the affected tenants after acquiring the land title in 2015, but the tenants have remained defiant. The courts of law hold the final decision.”
Greater Luweero remains a hotbed of land disputes, frequently escalating into unlawful evictions that leave entire households landless. Statistics from the Luweero Resident District Commissioner’s office indicate that land-related disputes account for more than 85 percent of all cases registered annually.