The Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development is setr to push for land amendment Bill that will see Government hold titles of land bought with encumbrances.
This was revealed by Betty Kamya (pictured), the Minister for Lands, Housing and Urban Development while appearing before Parliament’s Budget Committee to seek for Shs7.6bn funding to compensate the owner of Lusanja land Merdad Kiconco and Dodoviko Mwanje who demolished St.Peters Church based in Ndeeba, Kampala.
Kiconco and Dodoviko will each be given Shs3.8billion.
Kamya told the committee that under the new land law, a land buyer shall first prove to the Ministry of Lands that the land whose title transfer is being requested is free of land encumbrances to stop illegal evictions of people.
She said this will reduce losses Government is suffering in compensation.
She added that the people of Lusanja who had faced eviction from Kiconco will remain on their land while land titles of that land is kept by the Uganda Lands Commission and Government until a better way of each owning it legally is found.
Government is also set to reconstruct the Ndeeba Church at Shs2.8bn.
However, West Budama MP, Richard Okoth Othieno said that both the buyers and sellers of land should be compelled to deal in land with no encumbrances.
The Budget Committee Members asked Lands Ministry to avail to the committee the performance record of the Land Fund since its creation to enable parliament track its performance in terms of compensation.
