Gulu University Vice Chancellor Prof Jack Nyeko Pen-Mogi has hailed government’s proposed plans to table before Parliament an amendment to the Land Act (1998) which will make it easier for government to take over private land for ‘‘national development.’’
Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Ms Betty Amongin recently said that the current land law which stipulate that government must negotiate and compensate owners before taking over private land, has slowed government programmes.
The new land act if passed into law will now mean the government shall take over private lands before compensation is done.
Prof Pen-Mogi while addressing a meeting to launch a partnership between the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and Gulu University last week said the 1995 constitution which gives power over land to the people has impeded the development of Gulu University.
Prof Pen- Mogi said the University has not had major infrastructural developments because locals residing on parts of lands identified for establishment of various projects refused to vacate it despite willingness by government to compensate them.
“I think the new amendment if passed in place will be beneficial for the development of government institutions without fighting with the locals over land. Issues of land have been a problem in this region [northern Uganda] for so long and it has affected many developmental programmes,” said Prof Pen-Mogi.
He urged the land owners whose land was identified by the University for expansion to begin negotiations before the mooted law comes into effect saying it will be much better for them.
“This land we are struggling for was identified for the university and it’s in the law for establishing the University. There is no way anybody can resist the development on it, so it will be wiser for the locals to start entering negotiation because once the new law takes effect, they will suffer,” Prof Pen-Mogi said.
According to Prof Pen-Mogi, the land identified for development covers 740 hectares yet the University sits on 70 acres of land that formerly belonged to the District Farm Institute (DFI).
Pen- Mogi revealed that the University management has been forced to buy land in other districts like Nwoya and Amuru districts for its development.
The proposed amendment of the land act has however been condemned by a section members of parliament who say it will fuel land grabbing by the government.
Kilak South MP Mr Gilbert Olanya, a critic of the government, recently alleged that the proposal to amend the land law is aimed at grabbing land of people in Northern Uganda especially Amuru district where the locals have been resisting acquisition of land for what the government says are ‘‘investors.’’
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It will be a gross mistake to amend the 1995 land law that says land belongs to the people. The government of the people, for the people and by the people should not find it necessary to force people off their land any more than a private company should not force a land owner to move off his or her land. This time the goal will be to supposedly make it easier for the government to acquire land for development. Next will be an amendment to make it easier for private investors to acquire land for development. Before you know it, we will be full circle back to the 1975 military decree that basically said that if a land owner did not develop his/her land within 10 years, it would be taken away by anyone who had the means to develop it. It was wrong then, it will be wrong now and it will be wrong tomorrow.
This ladit Pen Mogi says that “the people will SUFFER” after the land’s acts’ amendments so he is happy about the move to amend the land? What a hypocrisy? If people are given money or “compensation” but no lands, where should they go?
You got a government which deploys soldiers in people’s lands. How many lands have they acquired by force from the local people? An army should protect the people and the new generations to come.