Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A team from the State House Committee on Land Matters led by Hajjati Mariam Namayanja yesterday stopped an investor, Jonathan Wright, from evicting residents of Buziranjovu village, Nakisunga sub county in Mukono district.
The intervention comes after numerous battles between the residents and the investor over the land for the past 14 years.
In the meeting with the residents and Wright, the secretary to the president on land matters, Hajjati Namayanja read a letter from the president in which he ordered that residents fully access the land without any restrictions and that the private security guards should as well vacate the main gate to the village.
The residents led by the Nakisunga sub county LC III chairperson, Mubaraka Ssekikuubo narrated to the land committee that as a sub county, they have not been able to deliver services like Covid-19 vaccines, agriculture services and veterinary services to the people because the investor denied them access to the village.
Muhammad Mulabi says that for years, they have not been able to access proper health services as the way to access such services had been blocked with heavy security.
According to Wright, he bought the Buziranjovu land in 2006 from the late Kabuusu. He says that he spent 1.5 Billion shillings on fully compensating over 250 bibanga occupants however, the trouble started when Maj. Moses Ssegujja came to the land and started inciting them to get back on their bibanja, and since then they started trespassing, cutting down his trees, destroying his fences.
Gonzaga Ssekandi, the lawyer of the investor notes that they were called for a meeting where they thought they will be heard, however, they were surprised to hear the state house team give a directive allowing the residents on the land regardless of the matter being in court.
The contested one square mile land has over 200 bibanja occupants, who have for years been battling with the investor’s security guards.
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