Leader of ghost village ordered to return stamp

The controversy surrounding an illegal village in the island district of Kalangala has taken a new twist with the Chief Administrative Officer, Mr Fredrick Ssemwogerere, ordering the area chairperson to hand over the office stamp.

Mr Ssemwogerere said Mr Alex Mpala, who purports to be the chairperson of Kachanga Landing Site located on Funve Island in Mazinga Sub-country illegally acquired the stamp a year ago.

"I direct Mr Mpala to hand over the stamp because Kachanga is still part of Mawaala Village; If you want a new village to be gazetted, you have to follow the right procedures," he said.

Ms Babra Nabasirye, the Mazinga Sub-county chief, delivered Mr Ssemwogerere’s message to residents of Kachanga on Wednesday.

The directive comes days after the village executive committee wrote to the office of the CAO, complaining that they have not received their allowances for four years.

"If residents of Kachanga want to break away from Mawaala Village, they should write to the office of the CAO, explaining why they need an electoral area and we shall guide them throughout the process," she added.

However, Mr Mpala said last year, he was invited to the sub-county headquarters to pick up the stamp.

"I was told the stamp was sent from the district headquarters, which was a sign that they recognise Kachanga as one of the villages in Kalangala District," he said.

According to Mr Sunday Gerald Kayita, the Mazinga Sub-county chairperson, it took them three months to establish that a government office stamp was illegally being used in Kachanga.

"The stamp was first taken to Kachanga Village in Bufumira Sub-county, who rejected it, claiming they already possess theirs. It was after three months that we learnt that there was another village with the same name," he said. 

Kachanga Village is considered to be part of Mawaala Village but in 2021, residents announced that they had created their own administrative unit, with Mr Mpala as the chairperson.