[allAfrica.com]


The Land Bill Will Sow More Conflict

The Monitor (Kampala)

OPINION
28 May 2008
Posted to the web 28 May 2008

By Ishaa Otto Amiza
Kampala
The Land Amendment Bill 2007 has not only generated a lot of debate but also
caused a lot of controversy and confusion among Ugandans who continue to rely
on land as the only available source of survival besides its importance in
economic transformation.
This bill has attracted debate nationally and in the diasporas on what
government intends to cure by introducing this law. Lawyers have argued that "a
law is created to cure the mischief within the law" although many believe that
this particular bill, if passed into law, may instead create more conflict and
complicate management of land issues. Government insists that the bill is vital
since it will enhance the security of occupancy on land and control the alleged
mass evictions of tenants.
The government has decided to come up with a new position by amending the
current bill even before the relevant committee of Physical Infrastructure and
Legal Affairs could finalise its findings and report back to parliament. The
new position does not only come as a shock to the public but it puts parliament
in a very awkward situation.
As members of the committee responsible for scrutinising this bill, one can now
confidently confirm that government had a sinister motive behind the
introduction of this unpopular and unresearched bill.
First of all the behaviour of government top leaders and the line ministry on
the bill had been strange and worrying following the inconsistency in
government, where the president makes one statement today and a different one
the following day. And now the minister has followed suit- brought a bill in
parliament with a new proposal after two months before the committee could
report back its findings from the public.
Besides, I believe the Law Reform Commission, the NRM caucus and cabinet had
perused the bill thoroughly before it was tabled in parliament. But all these
minds and institutions could not realise the weaknesses in the bill and only
waited from the public in order to make decisions. How can then Ugandans trust
the intentions of the government and the various laws passed by parliament
without the knowledge and the input of the wananchi?
I have a strong view that we are wasting a lot of time and other resources
discussing the Land Bill. The government, through Ministry of Lands and Urban
Development, should withdraw this bill from parliament and introduce a
comprehensive land reform policy and implement the current 1998 Land Act. It
should also carry out a national research and sensitisation on land and
harmonise the current laws by introducing a realistic law that is acceptable
and easy to implement.
What comforts me is the fact that Ugandans have now learnt a lot about the
mafia behaviour of this government and the institutional weaknesses where the
whole ministry could not come up with a comprehensive bill to accommodate the
complexities in the four land tenure systems of Uganda as provided for under
Article 237.
It's high time the NRM government, after being in power for 22 years, desisted
from making regime laws that only suit the interest of its master at the
expense of the ordinary citizens of Uganda.
The Land Amendment Bill cannot solve the problems of tenants nor the
landlords'. Instead, if passed into law, it will cause conflicts between the
two groups. The Land Act 1998 provides for the Land Fund. Therefore the
government should instead look for money to buy land from landlords and
distribute it to the landless Ugandans. Short of that, Uganda is heading the
Zimbabwe and Kenya way.
Ishaa Otto Amiza Member of UPC and MP for Oyam South.

===============================================================================
  Copyright © 2008 The Monitor. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica
                        Global Media (allAfrica.com).
===============================================================================