Former sub county chairperson, five others get 10-months suspended sentence

Ntungamo, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT  |  The former Ruhaama Sub County LC III Chairperson, Tom Rwomushana and five others are to serve a suspended ten-months sentence for criminal trespass. The others are the Mirama hills parish chairperson, Kassim Karyeija, the former Ruhaama sub-county councillor, Cosmas Kakuru, Yeremia Kanyesime, Elidad Buluhani and Moses Karikwende.  

The Ntungamo Grade 1 Magistrate Hazifa Namayanja sentenced the six local leaders after finding them guilty of trespassing on a 50-acre piece of land belonging to the family of James Kangaho. The land that at one time hosted a refugee reception center and health unit has since been transferred to Kitwe Town Council. However, residents have been using the land for agriculture and accuse Kangaho’s family of attempting to grab the community land.   

In 2014, a community meeting chaired by the former Ruhaama Sub County LC III Chairperson, Tom Rwomushana resolved to uproot the boundary marks prompting Kangaho’s family to file a case of criminal trespass against the ringleaders. But Kangaho’s family led by Andrew Kangaho claims to have inherited the contested land from their late father, James Kangaho. 

On Wednesday, Andrew Kangaho told the court that the accused persons have severally attacked his manager and destroyed his property on the contested land. He revealed to the court that he has spent lots of money on transport from Kenya’s capital in Nairobi to Ntungamo to follow up the endless cases. He asked the court to give the accused person a maximum sentence to allow him to enjoy freedom on his land. 

However, the accused persons told the court through their lawyer, Joshua Maliro of Mwine Buhazi that they were not part of the land dispute but only intervened as area leaders to resolve the dispute that almost caused the loss of lives. They asked the court to free them since they were just trying to resolve the dispute in their capacity as local leaders. The State Attorney, Robert Arinaitwe told the court that the accused persons had failed to show remorse for their action.  

He also said that the accused persons skipped court several times during the trial, adding that two of them were only arrested and dragged to court. He asked the court to hand them a maximum sentence. In his judgment, Ntungamo Grade 1 Magistrate Hazifa Namayanja handed the convicts a ten months suspended sentence, which means they will serve the sentence in their homes. 

Namayanja warned them against trespassing on the contested land again before completing their sentence, saying they will be taken to prison.

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