Kampala, Uganda: Uganda’s Military Chief and Chairman of the civic Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has publicly called for the arrest of State Minister for Lands, Dr. Sam Mayanja, over allegations linked to fueling land wrangles in the country.
In a sharp post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, August 6, Gen. Muhoozi stated: “I will request Mzee for the arrest of the Minister of State for Lands!”
The use of “Mzee” refers to President Museveni, signalling that the President’s son is likely to push for official action against Dr. Mayanja.
Dr. Mayanja, a veteran lawyer and pastor, has been at the centre of numerous high-profile and politically sensitive land disputes, including a long-running feud with the Buganda Kingdom over Kaazi land, and legal battles involving the Uganda Scouts Association.
In June 2025, the High Court ruled that Mayanja had overstepped his mandate by directing police arrests in land disputes, a decision that intensified scrutiny of his role in controversial property cases.
While Gen. Muhoozi didn’t explicitly mention what prompted his arrest demand, the context suggests frustration over the Ministry of Lands’ handling of key disputes, alleged interference in mailo land tenure, and growing complaints filed to the State House Anti-Corruption Unit regarding land grabbing.
Mayanja has faced backlash for his outspoken campaign to abolish the mailo land system, a long-standing cultural land tenure structure historically linked to Buganda, and his confrontational stance toward the Buganda Land Board. These positions have made him a highly divisive figure in Ugandan politics.
Gen. Muhoozi’s bold statement immediately drew attention online, with political analysts speculating whether the call signals a deeper rift between the military-political establishment he leads and civilian technocrats in Museveni’s government.
Neither the Ministry of Lands, State House, nor Dr. Mayanja himself had issued any official comment by press time. Efforts by DailyExpress to reach the minister for a response were unsuccessful.
Dr. Mayanja was appointed in 2021 and has since championed the Systematic Land Adjudication and Certification (SLAAC) program, which aims to issue free land titles and digitise the land registry system — reforms praised by some but contested by powerful traditional institutions.
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