Lady Justice Catherine Bamugemereire, head of the commission of inquiry into land Thursday grilled Wakiso District Staff Surveyor Dr Joseph Kizito Batwe over a controversial survey which nearly cost tenants their land to a city tycoon.
Also questioned by the Commission of Inquiry into Land Matters was a private surveyor, Bemba Stanley.
The land in question involves Gaster Lule, the Managing Director of Ntake Bakery, tenants and land owners on a block located in Burongo Kitikko, Kyandondo in Wakiso. Bemba was hired by Gaster Lule to open up boundaries of the land that he had purchased from one William Sentogo.
The Justice Catherine Bamugemeriere-led Commission interrogated Bemba at length and found that he attempted to dispose tenants that Gaster Lule found on the land.
Bemba had recommended the Wakiso District staff surveyor to have cadastral map of the land in question amended. The amendment of the map would see those on the land shifted from where they have constructed to swamps.
The recommendation seemed to have angered Lady Justice Catherine Bamugemeriere and her team especially the land law specialist, Dr. Rose Nakayi.
It was the first time since the Commission began its hearing to see Bamugemereire and Nakayi change their tone in anger as they questioned Bemba's professionalism.
Justice Bamugemereire raised her voice on discovering contradictions between what Bemba was telling the commission and what he had written in his survey report.
Dr. Nakayi pressed further as Bemba denied that he had tried to alter facts on the ground so as to please Lule. Lule on Wednesday appeared before the commission where he lodged a complaint against the District Staff Surveyor, Dr. Joseph Kizito Batwe, claiming that he was taking long to approve the surveyor's report and have the land titled in his names.
The Commission heard from Bemba that he has worked for 17 years but has never been registered as a surveyor as required by law. Under the law, Bemba does not qualify to practice as a surveyor unless when he is working under a registered company.
Bemba caused laughter at the Commission when he failed to rightly name the surveyor's professional body in the country. He could not remember the dean of his faculty at Kyambogo University where he graduated.
Meanwhile Joseph Kizito Batwe was also grilled over failure to put in place systems and processes to streamline the conduct of surveys in Wakiso. He was initially defensive but later admitted weaknesses in his department.
The Commission head that the District Staff Surveyor hardly moves to the land in conflict before he approves surveys for titles.
Dr. Kizito told the Commission that he is the only surveyor in a district that has four municipalities. He admitted that cases of errant surveyors were rampant in Wakiso. He blamed the mess on weak punitive mechanisms and the law which he said was outdated.
