Come Ye Investors for Free Land

Once upon a time there were “free” lands in the Americas, Africa, the Far East and Australia. Brave whities of all tribes scrambled and tore chunks for themselves and their progenies. They left the natives caged in reservations, homelands or caves to perish in alcohol, drugs, various delinquencies and confusions. While in most of these places the thefts have been grudgingly settled, in Africa the matters are still in flux. In Zimbabwe grandpa Mugabe grabbed back the stolen land and re-distributed it to favored black-faced robber barons. He, however, forgot it is still a white world and you don’t do that to massa and get away with it. Zimbabwe’s economic, social and political make-up has gone to the dogs as Mugabe insanely fights a battle he cannot win.

Here at home we have this Museveni guy wailing to those who care to hear him. He has free land to give away to investors who should come and turn his impoverished fiefdom into an economic jewel.

For all I know, the only places in the world where investors are attracted by land availability are some of the former Soviet Republics. While this may change in the future, for now these Republics have huge infrastructures of collective farmlands of the former Soviet Union which they are leasing to the efficient western agro-investors with impressive results.

The dynamics are different for Uganda. The majority of land is in the hands of various forms of small holdings. Any large-scale farming that will attract investors' avaricious appetite will, therefore, necessitate the consolidation of these small holdings by displacements. Which sane investor will accept the possible political and legal risk ramifications that may follow if Museveni were to carry out his rhetoric of “free land?” And by the way, land is not the only requirement that attracts investors. Investors abhor uncertainties since they already have so much at stake on whether or not they will turn a profit. Mr. Museveni needs to settle once and for all if he is an unapologetic dictator or a full-fledged democrat. Either way it works to turn profit—but there must be certainty. Other requirements include viable infrastructures and predictable legal environment unencumbered by the whims of the executive.

A workable alternative could be model villages which, I understand, are being tried out. This idea may require villages to come closer together, leaving swaths of land they could cultivate for larger output. This might also involve smaller forms of co-operatives for processing and marketing purposes. If this idea is carefully thought out, communities can be preserved while at the same time increasing the national productivity without undue social and political disorientations.