Boundary dispute splits residents

On the other hand, Ntoroko District leaders, led by their chairman William Kasoro, argue that the village is part of Nyamisingiri Parish in Nombe Sub-county.  The disagreement is feared may lead to tribal clashes.

Mr Kasoro highlighted that the contested village, along with three others coded by the Ministry of Local Government, has historically received services from Bundibugyo before Ntoroko District was carved out in 2010.

He said the current village chairman, Mr Amos Musibaho, possesses a stamp from the Local Government under Ntoroko District after the 2021 General Election,  while another village chairman possesses a stamp from Kabarole District.

“How did the district of Kabarole come to own the village in my district? I have written several letters to the Ministry of Local Government to come and resolve the matter but we are still waiting,” he said.

Mr Kasoro added that Nyamisingiri Parish was established in 2007 when the district was still under Bundibugyo District and that during that time, the parish was under Karugutu Sub-county and comprised six villages of Nyamisingiri, Nyabibya, Kinyamagi, Mabale I, Mabale II, and Nyankuku.

He said during the 2021 General Election, the two villages of Nyankuku and Mabale II submitted forms to the Electoral Commission and they were subsequently coded and assigned to the Kichwamba Sub-county in Kabarole District.

In the post-election, the villages received stamps under Kabarole District, while the remaining four villages stayed within the Ntoroko District.

“In the old Nyamisingiri Parish, 80 percent of the people were the Bakonjo. However, in the two villages that went to Kabarole, the majority of the people were Batooro and we left them to remain in Kabarole District,” Mr Kasoro explained.

He added that in October last year, during the immunisation programme, the residents of the contested village were excluded from the exercise. He alleged that this was after the district chief administrative officer and the planner for Ntoroko  District neglected them , assuming it would be covered by Kabarole District.

“Apart from the immunisation programme which people missed, other government programmes, including the Parish Development Model (PDM), have been received by residents from Ntoroko. If Kabarole is claiming ownership, how is it that the PDM has not provided funds to the residents?” he wondered.

School affected

Amid the dispute, Nyamisingiri SDA Primary School is in the contested village. Notably, the school was constructed by Kabarole District, and its staff receive salaries under the Kabarole District administration.

However, Mr Kasoro said he has written to the Ministry of Education and Sports, urging the relocation of the school to Ntoroko District.

“Building a school in my district does not mean you own land in our district. After all, the money was from the government,” he said.

But Kabarole District leaders assert that Nyamisingiri Village falls under their jurisdiction, citing the provision of social services to its residents over the years.

Mr Richard Rwabuhinga, the Kabarole District chairman, pointed out that two years ago, the district constructed a staff house at the school.

Mr Rwabuhinga said on August 13, 2010, the Minister for Local Government at that time, Mr Adolf Mwesige (now clerk to Parliament), addressed a letter to the Ntoroko District chairman.

In the letter, he approved the creation of Nombe Sub-county out of Karugutu Sub-county, responding to a letter dated June 13, 2010.

Mr Rwabuhinga expressed surprise at the creation of the Nombe Sub-county, highlighting that it comprised only four parishes of Kyabandara with nine villages, Nombe with eight villages, Nyakatooke with five villages, and Musandama with four villages. Notably, there was no Nyamisingiri Parish in the initial composition.

He expressed disbelief that Nyamisingiri Village, situated in the Ntoroko District, was later designated as a parish in Kabarole District, complete with an Electoral Commission code.

He asserted the strong objection of the entire leadership of Kabarole to Nyamisingiri being claimed by the Ntoroko District, deeming it an act of provocation.

“I pray that this situation should be given the urgency it deserves. We want the Electoral Commission to decode Nyamisingiri as a parish in Ntoroko District because it is our village. I have written to the head of the Electoral Commission over this anomaly of creating a parish that does not exist,” he said.

Mr Rwabuhinga recalled a previous disagreement over the same area before joining the district’s leadership in 2011. He said at that time, the then Local Government minister, Maj Gen Kahinda Otaffire, had initiated an inter-ministerial team to resolve the matter.

In the document seen by this publication, the committee recommended that the boundary between the Kabarole and Bundibugyo districts (before the creation of Ntoroko in 2010) follows River Wanka, which serves as a physical feature separating  the two districts.

“The road network and extension of water in Nyamisingiri Village has over the years been worked on by Kichwamba Sub-county of Kabarole District. There should be an investigation into the purported Nyamisingiri Parish and the monies being spent there by Ntoroko. We don’t want to have a conflict in this area, let it be solved,” he said.

The Tuesday incident involving a Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) helicopter gunship crash in Nyamisingiri Village added another layer of complexity.

Top leadership and technical representatives from both districts rushed to the scene, but statements from police and UPDF initially indicated that the incident occurred in Ntoroko District.

A reliable source within Kabarole District, who opted for anonymity, revealed that there has been financial dualism on the side of residents on different government programmes such as the PDM and others as both districts have been allocating funds to Nyamisingiri Village.  Meanwhile, residents in the contested village all access health services from Kichwamba Health Centre III in Kabarole District.

However, some residents, specifically those belonging to the Bakonjo tribe, assert their allegiance to Ntoroko District.

Ms Karungi Biiraa, a resident of Nyamisingiri Village, stated: “For us, over the years, we know we belong to Ntoroko District. Receiving health services from Kichwamba Health Centre III does not mean we belong to Kabarole District. We request that we remain in Ntoroko District.”

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