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Grabbers target Apac General Hospital land
A section of Apac hospital in Apac Municipality. The hospital authorities say they cannot expand the facility because the land on which it sits is not titled. PHOTO/FILE.
What you need to know:
Since its establishment in 1968, the administration of Apac Hospital has failed to demarcate its land because they are unable to locate its boundary.
The authorities in Apac District are struggling to recover a large chunk of land belonging to Apac Hospital that was reportedly encroached on by suspected powerful individuals.
Since its establishment in 1968, the administration of Apac Hospital has failed to demarcate its land because they are unable to locate its boundary, making it easy for grabbers to target it.
This newspaper has established that some people who once worked at the government health facility have now settled on the hospital land for more than 30 years. Some claim the land was offered to the hospital by their forefathers.
In 2006, the leaders of Apac Town Council allegedly sold a portion of the land to some individuals and those who bought it acquired titles.
Last week, Mr Ikomba Asanti Odongo, the Apac District LC5 chairperson, while meeting the people who settled on the land, asked them to voluntarily vacate to pave way for the expansion of the health facility.
“I am so disappointed, especially with people who worked at this hospital and some of them started building on this land in 2003. We shall leave no stone unturned, and we are going to make sure we acquire the title for this land,” he said.
However, some encroachers, who claim to have bought the land from former hospital staff, are demanding compensation, while others claim they own the land under customary tenure system.
Mr George Aryangi, a resident of Hospital and Around Cell in Akere Division, whose home sits on part of the contested land, said he bought it 20 years ago.
“We have not settled on government land. The government land was demarcated in 1968, a mark stone was planted, which means any land behind the stone does not belong to the hospital. If the hospital wants land for expansion, they should get it in a good way but not by creating another boundary to grab our land,” he said.
Mr Francis Elega, another resident on the contested land, claims he has been living on the land since 1973.
“If the government wants land for the expansion of this hospital, they should compensate us and we use that money to buy land elsewhere,” he said.
Mr Geoffrey Okuta, a claimant, said he was born on the disputed land around 1951, and that his father was among those who offered land for building Apac Hospital.
“My parents donated land for building this hospital and the remaining portion is where we are living up to date but they want to grab it from us,” he said.
The Apac Resident District Commissioner, Mr George Abudul, said the majority of the people are willing to dialogue so that the matter is handled amicably.
“We shall not allow people to grab land for an institution that supports many lives. We shall ensure we do everything possible to recover this land,” he said.
The Apac Hospital acting medical superintendent, Dr Robinah Akello, said the issue of limited space is hindering their plan to expand the facility.
“There are plans to expand this health facility and the government has tasked the district to acquire a land title for this hospital. Without the land title, there shall be no expansion because the government doesn’t want to invest in the land they are not sure of,” she said.
About the hospital
Apac Hospital is the only general hospital in Lango Sub-region and according to records from the Out-Patient Department, it receives more than 4,000 patients from Apac, Kole, Oyam and Kwania districts monthly.
