MISSING! Shock as Foreign Affairs Ministry Land Title Disappears in Thin Air

Land titles for Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and properties for the country’s missions abroad are missing, Parliament has learnt.

The ministry and the Uganda Land Commission (ULC) contradicted each other on where the land title for the foreign affairs docket is.

While the ministry of foreign affairs had earlier told Parliament’s committee on foreign affairs that the title was in the hands of ULC, the commission has distanced itself from this claim.

This confusion prompted Norah Bigirwa, the Chairperson Foreign Affairs Committee, directed the Commission and Ministry of Foreign Affairs to harmonize their records on the matter.

“The title for our Ministry of Foreign Affairs is missing, and yet the Ministry indicated that the title is with ULC, that they deposited it [with the commission], and you are denying the fact that you have the land title of the headquarters of ministry of foreign affairs,” said Bigirwa.

“So we need that reconciliation, who isn’t saying the truth? Where is the problem?”

Meanwhile, the ULC team led by acting secretary Andrew Nyumba could not account for land titles of up to 26 properties belonging to Uganda’s missions abroad.

The commission confirmed that it had titles for properties belonging to only 14 missions abroad out of the 40 missions where Uganda has properties.

“The Uganda Land Commission received a list of 40 properties from Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Missions abroad requesting for an update on the list of their land titles. And upon further investigations, we have discovered that we have titles ownership documentation for 14 out of the 40 mission properties,” said Nyumba.

The problems of land titles in Uganda are as shocking as they are ugly. Corruption, illegal evictions and impunity reign over ownership and security of titles and land.

Months ago, Museveni’s minister survived being killed by angry locals for reportedly defending a foreign investor accused of grabbing their land. (Read Story Here).

The same Museveni minister also previously revealed that he was left in shock after an office typist tempted him with a Shs40m bribe over a land dispute. (See Details Here).

There has also been alleged theft of government land by wealthy and powerful businessmen and women, some of whom were unable to produce evidence that they bought the land. (Read Stories Here, There and Over There).

Even powerful kingdoms like Buganda are not spared of Uganda’s land disputes. Even when land and rent are some of Buganda’s biggest revenue earners, the kingdom is still on disputes such as regarding the claim that State House is on Kabaka’s land. (See Details Here and There).