Tayebwa warns RDCs against presiding over land evictions

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Thomas Tayebwa, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, has cautioned Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) in the Bunyoro sub-region to desist from conniving with land grabbers and presiding over unlawful land evictions.

While presiding over the belated Women’s Day celebrations for Hoima district at Kigorobya Muslim Primary School playground in Kigorobya town council on Saturday, Tayebwa reiterated that President Museveni had halted all forms of land evictions across the country. Therefore, no RDC should disobey the presidential directives on land evictions.

Tayebwa pointed out the public outcry over the direct involvement of RDCs and their deputies in land grabbing, which has put residents under the threat of forceful evictions. He emphasized that the government would not tolerate such actions.

In 2022, President Yoweri Museveni directed that there should be no land evictions across the country. The president emphasized that no evictions should occur in a district without the District Security Committee, chaired by RDCs, directly consulting the Minister of Lands. He vowed to take action against committee members who fail to heed his directive, excluding the UPDF representative due to their limited involvement.

Furthermore, the president instructed the Chief Justice to prevent magistrates and judges from illegally evicting individuals in collaboration with land grabbers. He directed the Minister for Lands to report judicial officer misconduct for potential legal action.

Tayebwa stated that RDCs involved in fueling land grabbing should be dealt with harshly. He tasked leaders in the region to provide the government with relevant information about RDCs engaging in land grabbing so that immediate action could be taken against them.

Tayebwa also directed RDCs in the region to take stern action against officials extorting money from Parish Development Model (PDM) beneficiaries, stating that the vice is frustrating the progress and implementation of the program across the country.

The Deputy Speaker also appealed to people in the region to prepare and position themselves to tap into opportunities from the oil and gas sector discovered in the area. He noted that it is time for people in the region to invest massively in the oil and gas sector now that the government has put in place an enabling legal framework for Ugandans’ participation in oil and gas activities.

He encouraged the region’s residents to start investing in hotels, transport, accommodation, logistics, security, construction and engineering firms, and other services, as well as supplying food to benefit from the oil and gas sector.

Tayebwa rallied locals to embrace government programs such as the Youth Livelihood Program, the Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme (UWEP), and the Parish Development Model, among others, which he identified as avenues for eradicating poverty in their homes. He also warned the youth against excessive alcohol consumption and urged them to get involved in profitable ventures.

Harriet Businge, the Hoima Woman MP, appealed to the government to ensure that women in the region are considered for oil jobs, stating that women also have the requisite qualifications to work in the sector.

David Karubanga, the Kigorobya County Member of Parliament, noted that land grabbing remains a significant threat to the people of Bunyoro, with many fraudulently acquired titles persisting in the area, putting thousands of residents under threat.

The belated Women’s Day celebrations attracted religious, political, and opinion leaders, among others.

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