(Mpigi) – The Parliamentary Savings and Credit Cooperative Organization (SACCO) is eyeing a compensation payout from the government over a 100 acre piece of land in Namwabula, Mpigi district. The land was apparently “borrowed” by the Ministry of Defence back in 2022 for national security purposes. But, like many Ugandan deals and transactions, no one has seen a shilling two years later.
Speaker of Parliament Anita Annet Among is set to meet SACCO board members to untangle the mess, and perhaps remind the Ministry of Defence that “borrowing” without returning, especially land, is frowned upon. The hope is that a smooth path to 10.5 billion shilling cheque and some peace of mind will follow.
The land drama began when the Parliamentary SACCO decided they wanted to build a flashy satellite residential neighborhood for its members, all set on 258 acres of prime land once owned by Ssese Habitat. However, before they could say “groundbreaking ceremony,” the Ministry of Defence rushed in, claiming national security needed it more. Not exactly the twist the SACCO had in mind.
Robert Migadde, SACCO chairperson, assured his comrades at the 20th Annual General Meeting that all is not lost. The government’s valuation, which conveniently happened a couple of months ago, priced the land at 10.5 billion shillings. It is a tidy profit considering SACCO bought it at 7 billion shillings. But first, that money has to actually show up. Everyone knows how Ugandan government payouts are – like a village wedding, it can be rescheduled, postponed, or simply forgotten.
There is a “small” problem though: the land title is still in the name of Ssese Habitat. Former Serere MP Alice Alaso did not mince words when she gave the SACCO board a good old Ugandan “Katemba” at the AGM. She questioned why, two years after buying the land, the title had not been transferred. “Surely, you don’t go to Owino Market and leave your shoes with the seller, hoping to collect them later!” she quipped, wondering what would happen if the Ministry of Defence decided to play the long game with their payments.
The MPs SACCO, however, is not completely hopeless. They have drafted a Memorandum of Understanding with the original titleholders, and all that is left is for the Ministry of Defence to pay up. “The landlord has signed the promissory note. The Ministry of Defence will pay our portion directly to the SACCO,” Migadde reassured.
As tensions brewed, Robert Ziribasanga, another SACCO member, urged the board to sort out the title issue beforehand, warning of potential land grabbers lurking in the shadows. After all, in Uganda, if your name is not on the title, someone else’s probably is.
Not to be outdone, the Ministry of Defence weighed in. State Minister Jacob Oboth Oboth, in true Ugandan style, claimed everything was above board. “We will pay what the Chief Government Valuer says,” he assured, implying that the SACCO can relax – as long as they have faith in the system.
This is not the first time the issue has been brought up. Last year, Tororo District Woman MP Sarah Opendi boldly claimed the army had resorted to land grabbing, a phenomenon not uncommon in Uganda’s landscape of “who owns what.” Speaker Among, however, was not having it and defended the Ministry, stating that they had a meeting about the land and it had not been grabbed. Yet.
While the MPs and SACCO members hope for a happy ending, all eyes are now on Speaker Among’s meeting with the board. Will they get their compensation? Tell us in the comments.
