Museveni receives land probe reports as he warns grabbers

President Museveni has vowed to appoint senior police officers and lawyers to implement the findings from judicial commission of Inquiry into land matters report.
The president said this while receiving the report from the chairperson of the judicial commission, Justice Catherine Bamugemereire last evening at Kawumu Presidential Demonstration Farm in Luweero.
The committee of inquiry headed by Justice Bamugemereire and was appointed on December 8, 2016 and sworn in on February 17, to inquire into the effectiveness of law, policies and processes of land acquisition, land administration, land management and land registration in Uganda.
However, last year President Yoweri Museveni extended their span to six month following the expiry of their tenure on November 9, last year.
Addressing committee members, president Museveni said recommendations of the committee will go to cabinet for discussion upon final submission of the final report and thereafter, a White Paper will be drafted in May this year and the public will then be informed about the adaptations.
“Land will now start being a real factor of production. This is a historical moment because there has been no other commission since the 1924 commission that was appointed by Governor Mitchell. The difference is that the other was simply a commission of Inquiry but this is a Judicial Commission and if you commit perjury you can get seven years in jail,” he said.
He lauded the commission for bringing him an assessment on land problems in Uganda and for coming up with recommendations for government to adapt.
According to Justice Bamugemereire, public response to the commission has been overwhelming and as the commission clocked 120 days of public hearings, 4,900 complaints and listened to 287 of these and reviewed 600.
The other Commissioners are Owekitiibwa Robert Ssebunnya, Ms. Mary Oduka Ochan, Ms. Joyce Gunze Habaasa, Dr. Rose Nakayi, Mr. Fredrick Ruhindi and Mr. George Bagonza Tinkamanyire. The support team has: Ms. Olive Kazaarwe Mukwaya (Commission Secretary), Dr. Douglas Singiza (Assistant Secretary Research), Mr. Ebert Byenkya (Lead Counsel) and Mr. John Bosco Rujagaata Suuza (Assistant Lead Counsel).