Landlord threatens to evict 2,000 households

Tension is brewing between residents in three villages of Rakai District as a woman claims ownership of the land they have been occupying for more than 40 years.
The disputed land measuring one square mile is pitting 2,500 households in the villages of Kamoma A and Kamoma B  in Kyalulangira Sub-county against one Aisha who claims to own the land.

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The residents insist the land belongs to their ancestors.
Mr  Alex Kamushana, the chairperson of Kyalulagira Sub-county, in an interview on Monday said residents are predominantly livestock and crop farmers.
Mr Kamushana said Aisha’s agents visited his office last week, requesting him to mobilise residents  for a meeting to inform them about a project they intend to set up.

“After their visit, I equally informed other leaders to invite community members to attend the meeting, but  what remains undisputed is that residents have been occupying this land for over 40 years and have no where to go ,” he said.
At the weekend, a meeting between residents and agents of Ms Aisha held at Kamoma Landing Site  ended prematurely after the former threatened to lynch Aisha’s agents .
Mr Eric Twijukire, the chairperson  Kamoma A Village, told the meeting that the purported landlord has already brought building materials to seal off  the site.

“We are smelling a rat. The presence of  plain-clothed armed men  in the meeting clearly shows that big individuals in government are behind that woman [Aisha]. They  are interested in our land because of  its strategic location along the shores of Lake Kijjanebarola,” he said.
Mr Ibrahim Nsubuga, who represented the purported landlord, informed residents that no one would be evicted.
“We are going to look for ways of accommodating the sitting tenants and It’s not true that we are here to evict them. The owner of the land wants to develop it by constructing a beach and other recreational facilities ,” he said.

Mr Nsubuga said they are ready to compensate some tenants.
Mr Allan Musasire, the Rakai District youth chairperson, urged residents  to remain calm, adding that the Land Act protects interests of bibanja holders.
“As district leaders, we are going to further engage the purported landlord to see how she can recover her money if at all she was duped. This land has sitting tenants whose interests are protected under the law,” he said.

According to the Land Amendment Act 2010, tenants can resist eviction, especially if they have been paying the annual nominal ground rent.   The law allows the tenants to either pay annual nominal ground rent (busuulu) fixed by the minister or district land boards.
Mr Boaz Kasirabo, the MP for  Kooki County, asked residents  to resist eviction.
“ I request all residents of Kamoma and Kooki at large to collectively protest illegal land evictions even if it requires fist  fighting until we defeat those land grabbers,” he said.

Background

Last year, government halted eviction of at least 10,000 people in three villages of Kibanda Sub-county measuring 171.12 hectares.
The purported owners, including Mr Emmanuel Gakwandi, Erias Ndawula and Fred Kazungu had deployed surveyors to open boundaries of the disputed land, but angry residents frustrated the exercise, prompting police to use teargas to calm them down.