No tenants shall be evicted from the land they are currently occupying during the COVID-19 lockdown, the minister of lands, housing and urban development Betty Kamya has directed.
The directive follows a number of reports of impending and threatened illegal land evictions of tenants on registered land and customary land owners on unregistered land in the country.
According to Kamya, the most affected districts are; Kiryandongo, Hoima, Mubende, Mityana, Kassanda, Wakiso, Mityana, Luwero, Nakaseke, Nakasongola, Masaka, Mayuge and Napak.
The other areas with such reports are Kotido, Abim, Mukono, Kayunga, Kaberamaido, Bunyangabu, Kampala, Kiboga, Kyankwanzi and Mbale.
The minister has now ordered, if at any point during this lockdown a landlord chooses to sell off land to a different person, the rights to existing tenants shall not be affected in anyway, and the old landlord shall take the responsibility of introducing the new landlord to the tenants for purposes of paying him /her busuulu after the COVID-19 lock down is lifted.
“Any land sharing engagements between tenants by occupancy and landlords are prohibited until after lifting COVID-19 lockdown period. Any forceful engagements and /or impending evictions should be reported to the police and other law enforcement agencies as soon as possible to avert” Kamya warned.
She further directed District Land committees chaired by respective RDCs to assist lawful and bonafide occupants to remain and enjoy quiet possession of their Bibanja and to suspend the implementation of any eviction order during the COVID-19 period, aware that government issued a “stay at home” guideline and with most government officials out of station to intervene in the protection of lawful tenants.
