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By Joas Kaijage
The Citizen Correspondent
Muleba. Local leaders in Muleba District have been accused of pocketing more than Sh16 million from illegal sales of land plots belonging to the Kishulo Village. Some of the plots from an area of about 850 hectares were allegedly bought by foreign nationals, thus prompting the former Kagera Regional Commissioner, Mr Mohamed Babu, to order an immediate inquiry into the matter. The huge piece of land was allegedly sold to 17 persons, according to minutes of the village meeting convened following a letter from the RC with reference number CFA.51/132/01 ‘C’ 7 towards the end of last year.
During the meeting it was discovered that the sale of land in Omubinyungu sub-village did not abide laid down procedures. These require that village authorities should seek green-light from the village assembly before embarking on such transactions.
The village meeting resolutions contend that a few members of the village government embarked on a dubious sale of a huge piece of land. They did so without abiding by an earlier resolution that required them to first visit the site before further instructions.
“The village leaders abused their powers by selling a huge piece of land contrary to former instructions by the village community and pocketed about Sh16,050,000,” reads part of the minutes.
These were from a meeting convened by the Muleba District Commissioner, Ms Angeline Mabula, in an attempt to settle the dispute.
The minutes further indicated that until July 2011, about Sh16.619 million had been deposited into a private bank account in Muleba. However, an impeccable source told The Citizen recently that some leaders were behind the move to clandestinely sell such a huge piece of land. Even the village assembly had no right to sell such a huge piece of land, according to the laws.
Directives from the Muleba District commissioner regarding the dispute insisted that the village government had no authority to distribute or sell the piece of land whose size exceeded 50 acres. The DC stopped Kishuro village authorities from spending the money obtained from the illegal sale of land until the village assembly with a quorum of two thirds attendance passed such resolutions in line with existing legislations.
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