Court halts sale of police land in Lira
Then Lira District chairperson Alex Oremo Alot (left) addresses district officials and local leaders at a section of the contested land in Erute in September 2017. PHOTO | BILL OKETCH
What you need to know:
- The case followed a July 2018 public notice signed by one Mark Tivu, the Chief Administrative Officer, notifying the public of availability of plots at Erute to be developed and thus invited the public to apply for allocation of the said plots.
The High Court in Lira has stopped district authorities from selling or allocating plots land at Erute adjacent to the new Akibua Stadium in Lira Central Division, reasoning that the land belongs to the Uganda Police Force.
Lira High Court judge Alex Mackay Ajiji ruled the actions of Lira District Council and Lira District Land Board were not within their Constitutional parameters of dealing with the land.
“The respondents are by law in breach of holding and interfering with the use of the property that belongs to the Uganda Police that fell in the ambit of Uganda Police upon integration of the local Administration Police to Uganda Police,” the judge ruled.
Justice Ajiji held that, “A declaration that the said land comprised of residential premises of staff quarters at Ireda Housing Estates and land comprising administrative units and residential premises at Ojwina Division; formerly Lira Sub County administrative units in Lira, all belongs to the Uganda Police Force.
Lira District Council and Lira District Land Board are accused parties in the 2018 case filed by three people; Stephen Alele, Isaac Omora and Anthony Odur.
Through their lawyers, the group asked the court to declare unlawful the sale, alienation and prejudicial to the interest of the Uganda Police Force.
They asked the court to declare that the said land at Erute consisted of residential premises, land comprising staff quarters at Ireda Housing Estates and land comprising administrative unit and residential premises at Ojwina Division all belonging to Uganda Police Force.
The case followed a July 2018 public notice signed by one Mark Tivu, the Chief Administrative Officer, notifying the public of availability of plots at Erute to be developed and thus invited the public to apply for allocation of the said plots.
Court heard that actions of the accused parties were a deliberate move to deny officers of the Uganda Police Force from utilizing the land thus affecting their cardinal role of keeping law and order to which the general public is a beneficiary.
