Jinja, Uganda | The Bishop of Busoga Diocese, Dr. Paul Samson Naimanhe Mukembo, has condemned the increasing cases of land grabbing involving Church of Uganda-founded schools, warning that critical education infrastructure is at risk of encroachment by fraudulent individuals and brokers.
Speaking at an alumni event at Wanyange Senior Secondary School in Jinja City over the weekend, Bishop Naimanhe revealed that the diocese had launched an urgent campaign to title all school lands under its stewardship, especially in Busoga, amid rising threats from land grabbers.
He expressed concern over the growing trend, noting that certain individuals with manipulative intent were targeting land belonging to schools established by the church.
He questioned how the situation had deteriorated to that point.
The bishop urged government authorities to take decisive action to prevent further encroachment and called on the public and all stakeholders to unite in protecting church institutions from what he described as systematic land theft.
Jinja and surrounding areas in Busoga have been identified as hotspots for land fraud, with several cases involving powerful individuals and political actors accused of manipulating documents to take over both private and institutional land.
He stressed the importance of unity, warning that failure to secure church land could result in the collapse of the education infrastructure built by the church over the decades.
During the same event, the Wanyange Old Girls Association (WOGA) launched a new infrastructure drive to support the school, beginning with the construction of modern water tanks aimed at solving persistent water shortages.
WOGA President Pamera Kamusiime appealed to alumni and development partners to support the initiative.
She explained that as former students, they were committed to seeing the school progress and noted that the water tank project was part of a broader plan to address long-standing challenges.
Headteacher Deborah Basekanakyo welcomed the support from WOGA, saying their contributions were bridging significant gaps, especially in areas where the school struggled to meet essential service needs such as water supply.
The Busoga Kingdom also weighed in on the matter. The Kingdom’s Minister for Education, Owek Nantale Nasabu, encouraged students and the wider community to focus on strengthening education in the region rather than allowing institutional resources to be lost to fraudulent actors.
To reinforce efforts toward promoting girl-child education and institutional development, WOGA elected Her Royal Highness Jovia Mutesi, the Inhebantu wa Busoga, as the association’s patron.
Her involvement is expected to elevate the visibility of the initiatives and draw broader regional support.
The Church of Uganda has pledged to continue its titling campaign until all its properties are legally secured.
Bishop Naimanhe reaffirmed that safeguarding school land remained a top priority for the diocese and was critical for sustaining the future of education in Busoga.
The Busoga Today