[UAH] LAND FUND

l have read the President's speech in New Vision and l agree with him, that had the colonialists had Uganda at heart, they wsould have helped Mailo owners to have large scale plantations as it was the case with white farmers in Kenya, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Instead, here, they encouraged feudalism.

But where l disagree with the President, is that original mailo land owners (including my great grand father) got the land free of charge. That is not true. Most of these people were in active military service or ex service men in a series of wars that had been fought on the colonial state formation. They started with wars between Muslims and Christians aganst traditionalists, then wars between Chritstians and Muslims, then wars between Roman Catholics and Protestants, then wars against Mwanga and Kabaleega, then wars in annexation of eastern and northern Uganda etc.....

Even in post independence Uganda, governments of the day, including NRM Government, have been giving large chunks of land to the so called investors, some fake. So that was Sir Hurry Hamilton Johnstone and Sir Apllo Kaggwa did in 1900.

l also agree with the President, that most of the original onwers sold it and it is unfair to punish thoose who bought.

The most important solution, however, is the land Fund where the tenants can buy themselves off or the land owner buying off the tenants. We hear of one hundred million pounds the British Government gave to Uganda, and Banyioro leaders, according to East African of this week, claim, that the President told them so. Ws it diverted? That is the money we should use, to settle thiese land disputes starting with Kibaale District, as an experiment.