The Minister for Lands Housing and Urban Development, Betty Amongi, has ordered the cancellation of a land title belonging to renowned city businessman John Sebalamu over fraud and wetland encroachment.
Appearing before the Parliament’s Committee on Natural Resources, minister Amongi said the Sebalamu’s actions were a manifestation of fraud and immediate action had to be taken.
While following up on illegal sand mining in Lwera wetlands in Kalungu district, the committee established that Capital Estates Limited, a company owned by Sebalamu, acquired the title from former minister Joash Mayanja Nkangi in a record time of less than an hour.
In 2010 the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) named 100 individuals and companies that had encroached on wetlands in several parts of the country.
Among these were Sylvia Owori (the land which she later sold to city businessman Ham Kiggundu, where his multi-billion residential house is built); Speke Resort and Country Lodge Munyonyo, Peter Oboma, John Imaniraguha, Uganda Meat Industry Limited, Shumuk Investments Limited and the National Social Security Fund (NSSF).
Government recently announced a massive cancellation of all land titles in wetlands but several businessmen and high profile politicians are still in possession of such titles.
