Buganda Land Board has termed minister of Kampala Metropolitan’s order to allow traders and fish mongers return to Mulungu landing site as illegal and a danger to the environment.
Minister, Hajjat Minsa Kabanda recently wrote to the Makindye Deputy Resident City Commissioner Ms.Doreen Keita Kagabo to allow traders and fish mongers to access the landing site after spending almost four years without allowing anyone to access the site.
Now, in opposition of the order, Buganda Land Board’s spokesperson says the move is illegal since the landing site is owned by Buganda Kingdom and the order was issued without consultation and that the order could lead to degradation of the environment by Land grabbers who may wish to take advantage of it.
Mr. Denis Bugaya, the spokesperson and senior operations manager at Buganda Land Board opines that Mulungu landing site is one of the properties which President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s government returned to the Buganda Kingdom. “As Buganda Land Board, we have secured all the required documents showing our full ownership, and we are ready to protect it from any land grabbers,”- He asserted.
Mr. Bugaya also has underscored the significance of Mulungu Port to the Kingdom, especially during events like the Boat Race. He has reassured that no activities compromising the dignity of the lake would be allowed.
On whether the landing site had become a danger to the population nearby due to increasing Lake Victoria water levels, Mr. Bugaya says that they (BLB) made the assessment and established that the situation on the landing site was a danger to the public and agreed to close the site, and NEMA led the operation to evict people who refused to vacate the place peacefully.
He adds that plans are underway to make sure that the place is protected from environment violators.
Kabaka’s order on Mulungu
At the end of his recent unannounced tour at the landing site, the Kabaka urged the Kingdom to actively develop the site, emphasising the importance of preventing exploitation by selfish individuals who may wish to take up land at this site. He also appreciated the work done by the Buganda Land Board to save it from degradation.
Minister Kabanda speaks out
Minister Kabanda when contacted for a comment admitted that she wrote a letter to the IGP but said her directive was related to possible security threats in the area after the people who were evicted from the site threatened to riot and put the entire Munyonyo on fire yet in the wake of just concluded NAM Summit.
“As a leader, I cannot look on when people are threatening to riot, you know visitors from other countries who came to attend the NAM Conference are still here and you want those people to embarrass us before the international cameras,” said Ms Kabanda.
She added that she has no intentions of grabbing Kabaka’s land or returning people to the land because she is not the owner of the land but she wanted to lead the negotiation between the evicted people and the leadership of Buganda Land Board to resolve the matter amicably.
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