More than 100 farmers face eviction from rented farm land

Farmers in Bunyangabu district are facing eviction due to family bickering on the rightful owner of the land

Bunyangabu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | More than 100 farmers renting land belonging to Andrew Bazalirwaki, a resident of Kakinga town council in Bunyangabu district are facing eviction by his son, John Kiiza, who claims that he is the rightful owner of the land.

The farmers told Uganda Radio Network in an interview that they have been renting the land for more than 15-years now. They use the land to grow food crops like maize, tomatoes, beans and Irish potatoes for sale and domestic consumption.

However, Kiiza insists that the farmers are illegally farming on his land where he has severally chased them in vain. Erias Byarugaba, the Kakooga ward chairperson, who has also spent 25 years farming on the disputed land says that at the beginning, there was no problem until 2019 when Kiiza started gazetting it and chasing farmers.

He said that they reported him to his father who filed a case in Fort Portal High Court. Last year, the court issued an order restraining Kiiza from using the land until the matter is disposed off.

Peace Kyalisiima has spent six years farming on the disputed land. She says that she paid Shillings 1.2 million to Bazalirwaki for the previous and the current planting seasons.

Prudence Tumuheki, another farmer says that despite paying rent fees to Bazalirwaki, his son Kiiza has on several occasions set free his cows to destroy their crops.

Nickolas Muhangi, another farmer says he started renting the land in 2014 but accuses Kiiza of trying all options to chase them away from the land.

The Bunyangabu Resident District Commissioner Jolly Tibemanya recently directed that Bazalirwaki continues using his land until the case is disposed off in July this year. He advised farmers not to pay for the coming season.

According to receipts seen by URN, issued by Bazalirwaki, he rents out an acre of land to the farmers at Shillings 300,000. Both Bazalirwaki and his son Kiiza maintain that they are the rightful owners of the land.

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URN