By Andrew Irumba
Kampala: President Yoweri Museveni has appointed Hon.Beatrice Byenkya, the former Hoima Woman Member of Parliament, as the new Chairperson of the Uganda Land Commission (ULC), replacing Baguma Isoke,whom the president has shown exit!
Byenkya was appointed along with five other members including; Charles Muhoozi, Asuman Kyafu, Prof. Nyeko Pen-Mogi, Ms. Stella Achan and Rukiika Bujara, who will serve with their new boss, Byenkya. The new board members were appointed in a letter signed by president Museveni himself dated April 8th, 2019, addressed to Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga and copied to the Minister of Lands, Housing, Land and Urban Development as well as Head Of Public Service commission.
The new appointees now wait to be vetted by Parliament before they assume office. However, Byenkya’s appointment comes at a time when the Land Commission is grappling with several cases that include unlawful evictions of people from their lands, forgery of land titles, illegal possession of land by wealthy businessmen, and rampant corruption.
Last year, Justice Catherine Bamugemereire’s Land Inquiry Commission discovered a lot of corruption tendencies at the ULC and even directed the arrest of some of ULC officials over allegations of abuse of office, neglect of duty and corruption. Actually, Justice Bamugemereire reached an extent of ordering the arrest of some ULC officials for allegedly getting involved in land fraud through irregular processing of land titles.
