THIS WEEK: Lusanja evictions illegal, Court

THIS WEEK: Lusanja evictions illegal, court

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | On Dec.14, court ruled that an eviction of hundreds of people from a 75-acre piece of land in Lusanja village in Mpererwe on the outskirts of Kampala was illegal.  In his judgment, High Court Judge John Eudes Keitirima ruled the Chief Magistrates Court at Nabweru that ordered this eviction had no jurisdiction to handle the case.  The eviction effected in October by a gang of armed men was ordered by a one Medard Kiconco who claims to be the rightful owner of the land.

In his ruling, the judge said it was a responsibility of Kiconco and his lawyers to provide the estimated value of structures that he was seeking to demolish in order for the trial court to determine whether it was within the ambit of the court’s pecuniary jurisdiction to order. He added that there was no effective service affected on the complainants and that if the trial chief magistrate had visited the disputed land, affected parties would have been alerted that someone had sued them.

Before this court ruling, affected residents had petitioned the speaker of parliament that they had wrongfully been evicted something that prompted the Attorney General William Byaruhanga to make a presentation on it. Later he told parliament that the exercise was marred by a lot of irregularities and that the security officials who were involved under disciplinary action. Now, area MP – Kyaddondo East Robert Kyagulanyi is planning to sue government over aiding this illegal eviction.