KAMPALA – The Uganda Land Commission has been dragged to the High Court for allegedly failing to pay a balance of Shs 300m for sale proceeds for the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Gender, Mr. Pius Bigirimana.
According to court documents filed before the court, Bigirimana alleges that he sold his land comprised in Block 103, plot 5 at Bulemezi, Nakabito, and Nakigozi in Luwero district to the commission at a price of Shs504M
Bigirimana states that he forwarded to the accounting officer all that was required of him to have his money paid and among these include the original certificate of title for the subject land, duly signed transfer forms, details of his account and TIN number.
“ My case is aggravated by the fact that I was given a price determined by the chief government valuer but even then I have been denied room to enjoy the proceeds of the sale of my property with the commission’s secretary cum accounting officer of the land fund paying me by way of installments without my consent,” Bigirimana states in the court documents.
He asserts that from the time he sold his land to the purchaser (Uganda Land Commission) so many other claimants have been paid notwithstanding that their claims were later in time to his thus signifying that the commission enjoys unregulated latitude to buy off a citizen’s land and choose how, when in what installments and at what intervals to pay them.
He states that his case aggravated by the fact that he was given a price determined by the chief government valuer but even then I have been denied a room to enjoy the proceeds of the sale of my property yet the purchaser is already the registered proprietor.
Through his lawyers of Kanduho & Co. Advocates, Mr. Bigirimana also wants court to determine whether the accounting officer of the land fund has the latitude to selectively pay claimants from the land fund and or pay the vendor [Mr Bigirimana] or any such claimant in installments and at intervals of his/her choosing.
He also wants the court to determine whether the sale proceeds ought to be recovered wit5h interest at a rate determined by the court and within its time set.
