The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | State House has intervened in the illegal eviction of more than 5,000 families in Hoima district.
The affected families are from the three villages of Kabatindule, in Kisukuma parish Kisukuma sub-county, Hanga, and Lengu villages in Bombo sub county in Hoima district. The contested piece of land measures 5 square miles.
The residents have since 2017 been feuding with Kasigwa Byenkya who is claiming ownership of the land.
According to some of the affected residents, they occupied the disputed land in the 1940s but they are surprised that Byenkya has come up to claim the land. They want the government to intervene and stop Byenkya from evicting them from their land.
Available information obtained by Uganda Radio Network-URN indicates that Byenkya acquired a title for the land in 1986 but the residents have since accused him of illegally and fraudulently obtaining the Title. They say he wants to grab their land using the fraudulently acquired title.
Since 2017, the residents have been threatened with eviction from their land.
The residents led by Godfrey Chomondo in April this year, Petitioned the Legal department of State House over the matter to come to their rescue.
The residents then stated that they have lived on the land since the 1940s and are questioning the circumstances under which Byenkya acquired a title for the piece of land.
Following their petition, the legal department of the state house has finally intervened.
In a letter dated 5th May 2024, signed by Flora Kincoco, the Principal Private Secretary to the President, and addressed to the Resident District Commissioner -RDC Hoima, the legal department of State House indicates that they received a petition against the illegal eviction of the residents from their ancestral land.
“The legal department State House received a petition from Chomondo Godfrey and Mpanga Tadeo petitioning His Excellency the President against illegal eviction from their land. The purpose of this letter is to request you to attend a locus meeting on 20th June at 11:00 a.m. before Counsel Natasha Akatukunda and Counsel Norah Kenyena to discuss the way forward. Kindly carry with you all the necessary documents that will aid in the course of the meeting,”Reads the letter.
The letter is copied to the District Police Commander-DPC Hoima, District Internal Security Officer-DISO Hoima, LCV Hoima, GISO Bombo sub-county, District staff surveyor, LC3 Chairperson Bombo among others.
Albert Akenda 60, a resident of Lenju village says, he is happy that State House has intervened in the land saga stating that, he was born and raised on the contested piece of land.
Pius Ozeki, another resident says, they have been living in fear since 2017 tasking the legal department of the State House to thoroughly investigate how Byenkya acquired a title for the said land without their consent.
Jackline Kawambe, 70, a resident of Kabatundule village says that she has been a resident of the contested land since her childhood and was shocked in 2017 when Byenkya raided the area and demanded that they vacate the land.
In 2017, Residents of Lenju LC 1 in Kigorobya Sub County in Hoima district protested the heavy deployment of Uganda People’s Defense Forces-UPDF soldiers on their land.
They then questioned how the soldiers were deployed on their land.
The soldiers blocked residents from accessing their gardens. The soldiers were later taken away during the night hours following a protest by the residents.
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URN
