Legislators on the Parliamentary Committee of Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) have lashed out at officials of Kampala Capital City Authority for failing to utilize all land acquired for public projects, saying such negligence has exacerbated land wrangles in the city.

The MPs raised concern following findings in the December 2022 Auditor General’s report indicating heavy encumbrances on several pieces of land KCCA owns.

The COSASE Chairperson, Joel Ssenyonyi, spoke of land KCCA had earmarked for a landfill over 20 years ago but was later taken over by encroachers. 

The chairperson of the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), Joel Ssenyonyi, cited two pieces of land including the 60.4 acres purchased in 1997 to be used as a landfill in Kasenge-Nakyeyama in Wakiso District but it has been taken over by encroachers.

He also mentioned another 13 acres of land KCCA procured in Lusaze, also in Wakiso procured for a cemetery, but the biggest portion has also been encroached on, leaving no space for burials.

Emmy Waligo, the manager of Land Management at KCCA informed the Committee that they had petitioned the court, seeking to have the encroachers evicted and the case is still pending in the courts of law.

Waligo also said that KCCA’s lease on the contested land had expired and negotiations were underway to renew the lease from Buganda Land Board. However, the Mengo leadership has rejected the request, demanding that the land be put to better use instead of a cemetery as per the KCCA plan.

Kashari North MP Nathan Itungo asked why KCCA was selective in enforcement while trying to create order in the city by evicting street vendors and not using the same energy in evicting people encroaching on their prime pieces of land.

The Auditor General, John Muwanga also raised concern on the failure by KCCA to secure land titles and transfer 48 pieces of land measuring approximately 37.7 hectares out of the 184 pieces of land the Authority owned.