The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda Police Force has refused to comply with an order from State Minister for Lands, Sam Mayanja, to allow people evicted from the disputed Kireka Police barracks land to return to their houses. Last year, Major General Geoffrey Tumusiime Katsigazi, the then Deputy Inspector General of Police, ordered the eviction of all people he deemed illegal occupants of Kireka barracks land.
The joint operation with the army was marked by brutality and the destruction of civilian property worth billions. On Thursday last week, Minister Mayanja visited the contested land involving the Police, National Housing, and over 4,000 locals within five zones of Nakawa Division and Kira Municipality. The affected zones include Kiganda Zone, Kireka D, Acholi Quarters (Banda 1), Katoogo, Mbuya Kinawataka, and Kireka Kiganda.
The Minister’s directives were based on an investigative report by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, which concluded that the land belongs to the National Housing and Construction Company Limited (NHCC), which acquired it from Kireka Estates Ltd in the 1960s. The report also indicated that the evictions carried out by the Uganda Police Force were unlawful, as they did not adhere to legal procedures, and the Police were not the legitimate owners of the land.
Minister Mayanja assured the evicted residents that they still have the right to occupy the land, as some have lived there for over 12 years. “The law says that if someone has been occupying a piece of land for a certain period, they are protected from eviction. In this case, no one can chase you out. They can only get you off the land through negotiations and compensation by National Housing, allowing you to leave peacefully,” Mayanja said on Thursday.
Police Spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke stated that the Police are firm on their stance regarding the disputed land. When asked by a URN reporter about the Minister’s directives, Rusoke insisted that the land belongs to the Police and accused the evicted individuals of trying to encroach on barracks land.
“What we did was to prevent an invasion; people came with bricks, timber, and sand and started building houses everywhere on Police land. We chased land grabbers, and we have been taking serious countermeasures against land grabbers,” Rusoke explained. The Police have since issued a warning to locals, stating that they will not tolerate what they perceive as land grabbers using sympathy to draw public and political support.
Kituuma further emphasized that the Police cannot act on verbal instructions and require formal written communication from the Ministry of Lands. “We haven’t received any letter from the Ministry of Lands. If they have concerns, they will need to write or communicate through the appropriate channels. I cannot discuss the investigation findings until the Minister officially engages with us,” he added.
Atanus Musoke, the Defence Secretary of Kiganda Zone, reported that despite the Minister’s orders, the situation escalated. On Friday and Saturday, residents attempting to return to their homes were met with teargas and bullets.
Musoke mentioned that the affected group is planning protests and intends to march to the Ministry of Lands to seek justice. Efforts to get a comment from Henry Obbo, the Lands Ministry spokesperson, have so far been unsuccessful despite multiple phone calls.
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