The State Minister for Lands, Dr Sam Mayanja, has returned land to residents of Kainogoga and Buwekula villages in Northern Division, Jinja City, after they accused Busoga Kingdom officials of orchestrating illegal evictions.
Residents told the minister during a meeting on the disputed land that they had endured harassment for more than a decade, including assaults and raids allegedly sanctioned by the Busoga Kingdom Prime Minister, Joseph Muvawala.
They said eviction attempts had targeted families who have lived on the land for generations.
Following the testimonies, Dr Mayanja directed police to arrest all individuals involved in the evictions, including Muvawala himself, arguing that cultural leaders and their agents lack constitutional authority to enforce land orders.
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He cited Article 246 of the 1995 Constitution, which prohibits traditional leaders from exercising administrative, legislative, or executive powers of government.
"If the Kyabazinga has no such powers, how did Muvawala assume authority to issue directives to local government? When I touch Muvawala, I am not touching the distinguished king," Mayanja said, while also reading out a presidential directive warning against unlawful evictions.
The minister further ordered the arrest of Jamawa Kwegemya, the LC1 chairperson of Buwekula village, and instructed police not to grant bond to anyone implicated.
He also controversially directed that the Igenge Palace in Jinja be closed until, in his words, "it is cleansed" of royal guards accused of misconduct.
Busoga Kingdom, however, strongly rejected the minister's actions.
The Kingdom's Lands Minister, Fred Kyangwa, insisted that the contested land has belonged to the kingdom since the 1930s and accused opportunists of fraudulently acquiring titles.
"Busoga Kingdom has documentary evidence proving ownership of the said land since its establishment. The reigning Kyabazingas and their administrations have always been responsible for this property," Kyangwa said.
He added that some encroachers had already formalised their occupancy through leases with the kingdom.
Kyangwa further accused Mayanja of contempt of court, noting that disputes over the land are pending before judicial authorities.
"Any intervention outside the court process amounts to contempt of court. The closure of the Igenge Palace and removal of royal guards is outside the constitutional mandate of the minister," he said.
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Despite the standoff, many residents welcomed the minister's intervention, calling it long-overdue justice in a land struggle that has left communities vulnerable for years.
