The State Minister for Lands, Sam Mayanja, has directed the Commissioner for Land Registration to revoke all titles held by Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II for the contested Kaazi camping site land in Busabala, Wakiso district.
Mayanja made the directive on Wednesday during a visit to the 125-acre land, which the Buganda Land Board (BLB) has been claiming on behalf of the Kabaka.
The land, part of Block 273, Plot 5, had been subdivided into several plots and had been allocated to the Uganda Scouts Association and the family of the late Kabaka Daudi Chwa.
The minister ruled that the land should be returned to the Uganda Scouts Association and Chwa’s family, rejecting ownership claims by the Kabaka.
He argued that the land, initially freehold, was later converted to private Mailo, reclassified as official Mailo, and then transferred to the Kabaka. He deemed this process irregular.
“As the review hereinabove indicates, the land is the private Mailo belonging to the estate of the late His Highness Daudi Chwa II, and not the Kabaka of Buganda. I accordingly direct the Commissioner Land Registration to correct the register by deleting Kabaka of Buganda and reverting the land back to the Administrators of the Estate of Daudi Chwa II,” Mayanja said.
He also ordered the deregistration of the Buganda Land Board, arguing that it was registered as a private company in 2015 and was not a legally established successor to a statutory body.
He directed the Commissioner of Land Registration to cancel any proprietorship claims by BLB or individuals basing their ownership on the Traditional Rulers (Assets and Properties) Act of 1993.
The Kaazi land was originally donated to the scouts by Kabaka Daudi Chwa II in 1938 through a Deed of Donation.
The agreement stipulated that after 100 years, the scouts would retain part of the land under Mailo tenure, while the remaining portion would revert to Chwa’s successors.
Patrick Mujuni, a trustee of the Uganda Boy Scouts Association, said the association and the Balangira had reached an understanding, ensuring peaceful coexistence.
“In the documents, it was stipulated that after one hundred years, we were to retain a certain portion of the land and return the Balangira their twenty acres from the total of 120. We have fulfilled that agreement and have not encountered any disputes,” Mujuni said.
The Buganda Kingdom has long fought to regain control of the Kaazi land, alleging that the terms of ownership were unlawfully altered for commercial and residential use.
BLB had petitioned the Commissioner of Land Registration to cancel titles it believed were improperly obtained.
In October last year, Kabaka Mutebi visited the land to assess ongoing activities and explore ways to resolve the dispute.
