Cyprian Musoke
4 July 2009
Kampala — The Ministry of Lands Housing and Urban Development has unearthed 63 forged land titles and "retained" them, pending further investigations.
The titles for land in Busiro and Kyaddondo in Wakiso District, Igara, Bunyaruguru, Kashari, Mitooma, Rukungiri and in Mbarara, will be forfeited by the owners, once investigations prove that they were forged, ministry spokesperson Dennis Obbo said.
"Once we prove that they were forged or fraudulently acquired, they will automatically be cancelled. This is part of our fight against fraud which has manifested itself in the land registry. We are now cleaning up with zero tolerance to fraud," he said.
Obbo said even if one was aided by the registry officials or private surveyors to forge the deeds, they would be cancelled.
He advised land buyers to scrutinise the purple deeds that are put inside the title and, if not sure, cross-check with the Lands Office.
The most common fraud, he added, is forgery of the signature of the Chief Government Valuer, in which case all the documents are nullified.
"Those with leaseholds will have to go back to the district land boards and private buyers go back to their sellers for fresh signing of transfer documents," he said.
Asked what they were doing to stem the vice, Obbo said they are verifying all titles to have them scanned and entered into a computerised database under the new land computerisation project.
"A registrar gets at a title and checks everything. Once it passes the test, it is scanned to ensure we do not have forgeries entering the computer system. We are moving with the support of the World Bank land component of the Private Sector Competitiveness Project II and we are hoping that by the end of 2011, we shall have captured all titles," he said.
He urged the public to co-operate and follow the procedures while transferring titles, avoid middlemen and not to bribe corrupt ministry officials.
"In case you encounter a problem, there is a complaints desk in the ministry and a complaints line - 0414 373511. You will be assisted or advised. Report anyone who asks for money," he stressed.
He said there were cases of missing files which were recovered after two days. He urged the public to always check their titles on a regular basis, adding that the office would start using ICT in a new land procedure where land owners would append their photos, email and mobile phones on their documents.
During his hand-over as state minister for lands, Kasirivu Atwooki revealed in March that the lands registry had uncovered 550 forged land titles in Kampala during the computerisation of the department. He said the titles had been cancelled as part of the effort to clean up the registry.
Obbo said: "For any transaction to take place on a piece of land, we shall send an SMS and email so that if there is any fraud, genuine owners of land can rush here to verify the transaction.
The ministry, he added, urges prospective land purchasers to visit the land and physically inspect it and talk to all the neighbours in the vicinity of the land in order to confirm that the purported seller is in fact the rightful owner. "If there are any disputes, do not buy," he stressed.
Buyers, he added, should meet the actual owner of land and not merely their purported agents, and go with them or a representative to the Lands registry to verify the land in question.
"Hire a registered advocate to act on your behalf in the land transaction, as the acquisition of land is a technical legal process. Consult a registered valuer or our government valuers to establish a fair market value for the land on offer," he said.
Land titles of properties offered for sale at give-away prices and in a great hurry may not always be genuine, Obbo emphasised.
"The buyer should insist on seeing the original land title and bring it to the Office of Titles for verification before money changes hands. In case you need to engage the services of a surveyor, ensure that she/he is registered with the Survey Registration Board," he advised.
The public, Obbo advised, should ensure that they pass through the right procedures and deal with the rightful owners to avoid putting their titles at a risk of ever being impeached, either by the ministry or a court of law.
There have been complaints about shady dealings in the Lands Office. In February, the Police arrested top land officials for duplicating land titles without the consent of landowners.
Ambrose Olikiliza, the senior registrar of titles, Jane Frances Kasirye and Augustine Nsubuga, both senior records officials, were picked up from the head office on Parliament Avenue in Kampala.
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