By Teddy Namayanja and Amos Ssemuwemba
The Chief Executive Officer, Ashley Ssendawula of Boss Land Estates, has called upon authorities to consider using alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to address the issue of backlog in land cases.
He made the call this evening in an exclusive interview with our reporters. He said, “Local council authorities are very crucial in resolving land issues. RDC offices are equally important because even when you go to court, they usually give you three months with a mediator to help both parties come to an agreement. You can only go back if the mediations have failed.”
He adds that if these mechanisms are empowered to their full potential with all the necessary facilitations, they can go a long way in helping to reduce backlogs.
Other than that, Ashley also notes that increasing the number of judges cannot be ignored. “They need to appoint more judges because what has been happening is that one judge can be handling over 500 cases, yet these are cases that are very critical and need a lot of time to have all the necessary investigations carried out,” he said.
According to media reports, surveys, and other research, over 8,000 land cases are pending before court.
We asked Ashley to tell us what he thinks to be the cause of so many land cases. This is what he said: “First of all, if you look at factors of production, land is primary. This means land is the most important thing world over because every activity, be it agriculture, infrastructure, or any other thing you can think of, is done on land. The population is also growing rapidly, yet land is actually not increasing. This then creates competition among people for the available land. Under these circumstances, some people now resort to using fraud, falsification, swindling, and manipulative tactics, among others, to steal land.”
He added that another cause of all these backlogs is the time needed to carry out all the necessary investigations into land matters, given their sensitivity. “Aside from the issue of few judges, land issues are very sensitive and delicate and as such, call for critical investigation before making any conclusions and rulings,” he said.
Two months ago, a three-member delegation from the judiciary of Kenya, led by Principal Judge Eric Ogola, was in the country for a week-long benchmarking visit on enhancing backlog reduction strategies.
While receiving the delegation, Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny Dollo explained the cause of case backlog.
He said, “There are inefficiencies in the current court system introduced by the colonialists, and this has led to a significant case backlog, with some cases remaining unresolved for more than ten years.”
The Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, highlighted that the increase in the number of judges is a game changer in addressing the recurring issues in case backlog.
If you want to avoid being part of the number of people waiting endlessly with anxiety to have their cases heard by court, reach out to Boss Land Estates to help you navigate smoothly through the process of acquiring your dream plot of land and any other land-related transactions and consultations.
For more details find them at level 4, Suite No HT- 54, Makerere Hill Rd Kampala.
You can call them on +256704699388 or visit there website;bosslandestates.co.ug
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