By Spy Uganda
Kabarole: On 13, August 2020, the United Pentecostal Churches of Uganda in Fort Portal, petitioned the Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Beti Kamya-Turwomwe, against approving some of the district land board members that included Mr.Kaganda Bob and Mrs Kalyegira Florence Molly Nyangoma whom they accuse of being under the same constituency which contradicts with the legal requirements of the Land Act for appointment of District Land Board members.
The petition reads;
Hon. Minister we bring our petition to your attention and it is two ways: Molly Florence Nyangoma Kalyegira and Bob Kaganda are from the same Constituency of Fort Portal Municipality. They cannot all be representing the same area. Molly Florence Nyangoma has been illegal on the previous land board purportedly representing urban councils yet she is not from the old and even current four Urban Councils of Kijura, Kiko Karago or Mugusu but rather she comes from Fort Port Municipality. And the previous board, Fort portal Municipality Florence Bamuturaki as a seconded member. So Molly Florence Nyangoma being approved by your honorable Office would be unjustified for a fair balance.
We would like to have more representation from Sub Counties of Kabend Kijura, Hakibale, Kasenda or Rutete which are very big but have no representation. These areas are predominantly bakiga yet on the new members there is no mukiga and mukonjo. Throughout its previous land board, urban councils had no representation at all.
Furthermore, It is worth noting that Kaganda Bob despite being from fort portal Municipality, as a land agent does not have a good moral reputation to serve on the land board.
He is one of the land agents in Kabarole who has been involved in shoddy land dealings and undermining the smooth operations of district Land Board (refer to Bishop Jimmy Katuramu on tel 0701837323, 0783604168 for more information).
United Pentecostal Churches recently lost a prime in the heart of Fort Portal at the hands of Bob Kaganda.
The owners of the said plot physically exposed Mr. Bob Kaganda on Voice of Tooro that he had solicited and they gave him 40,000,000/= to process for them a land title but to date in vain.
Also records were altered for plot 4 kaija road and disposed it (see attached). There is an ongoing confusion at Kagote housing estate between tenants, Uganda Land Commission and Fort Portal Municipal Council where Bob Kaganda had direct hand in the disposal of the estate both as a mayor and a lands staff, matters are before the high court. As an active land agent he is not seen to objectively and morally serve on the land board, he disposed of plot 16 Kaija road under non existent names and persons i.e Bob Olim Katuramu while serving as an assistant valuer.
So these two seats need to be extended to the other constituencies and balance with bakiga and bakonjo. Mr Kaganda Bob openly shows dishonesty by declaring on his CV which he cannot own up by signing on it and without attaching testimonials that he holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Land Management and Valuation yet he was restructured in 1993 for not having a degree.
He cannot even sign or own a valuation report because he is not a registered valuer due to not having a degree but he alleges to have one, he only holds a diploma from a survey institute.
Mr. Kaganda Bob has never been a Western Region Land Officer, he himself acted as a land Officer for the District when the land Officer one Late Tebisweke died, letting him avail appointments, postings and testimonials. So we appeal.”
In the same vein, the a one known as Juma Hussein petitioned the Ministry of Lands complaining the extension of Mr.Rwaheeru Cyprian’s contract as the chairman Kabarole District Land Board.
Juma through his lawyers of Sanywa Wabwire and Co.Advocates petitioned thus;
“We act for and on behalf of Mr.JUMA HUSSEIN herein after referred to as our client and on whose instructions we address you as here under;
On the 6th day of February 2020, we did write to the Chief Administrative Officer of Kabarole District requesting him to interdict the above named person who was charged on the 3rd day of February 2020 before the Grade One Magistrate of Fort Portal Chief Magistrates Court for forgery (see a copy of the charge sheet and the letter that was written to the CAO which am attached hereto and marked as annexure A’ and ‘B).
However, to date the Chief Administrative Officer of Kabarole District being a personal friend of RWAHEERU CYPRIAN has adamantly refused to interdict him despite the fact that he had already been charged and that his continued stay in office is likely to prejudice our clients” case.
What is equally surprising is that on the 6th day of March 2020, upon receipt of our complain over the interdiction of Mr.RWAHEERU CYPRIAN the District Executive Committee Kabarole district sat and decided to renew Mr. RWAHEERU CYPRIAN’S contract as the Chairman Kabarole District Land Board. That the decision of the District Executive Committee of Kabarole district was on the 9the day of March 2020 approved by the District Council C Kabarole District notwithstanding the fact that mr. RWAHEERU CYPRIAN is not a fit and proper person to hold office because of the pending charges against him.
In the premises we are humbly requesting that you be pleased to decline Mr. RWAHEERU Cyprian’s approval and contract extension as the chairman of kabarole District Land Board until he is cleared by the courts of law in case No.FT-00-CR-0103/2020 which is pending determination before Grade One Magistrate of Fort Portal Chief Magistrate court.”
However, in response to the above petitions and accusations, the Permanent Secretary of Lands Ministry Dorcas Okalany responded cancelling appointment of new members on District Lands Board over failure to follow the appointing rules.
Permanent Secretary response letter reads;
“We acknowledge receipt of your letter addressed to the Permanent Secretary Ministry of lands, Housing and Urban Development forwarding names for approval as members of Kabarole District Land Board.
As you are aware the creation of new cities automatically affected the municipalities and counties of those Districts’ operation as of July, 2020.
As per the legal requirements of the Land Act for appointment of District Land Board members under section 5 specifies criteria as follows-
(1) Subject to a minimum membership of five, a board shall consist of the following persons
a) A chairperson
b) One member representing municipal councils
c) One member representing urban councils
d) One member from each county in the district
We have perused your file and the names of members submitted have been overtaken by events and we request that you resubmit following the criteria above, as we have observed that Kabarole is left with one county and four town councils.
In addition we had received two complaints, one against Mr.Rwaheeru Cypriano the Chairperson Kabarole DLB among the proposed names of the board members by Sanywa Wabwire & Co. Advocates and another from the United Pentecostal Church of Uganda Kabarole against unfair representation; copies of the complaint are hereby attached.”
