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Leaders blame Agago land wrangle on suspected mineral discovery
Ms Ruth Nankabirwa, the Energy minister. Photo | File
What you need to know:
- Mr Lagen said that even after the title was cancelled, the frequent sighting of aeroplanes flying over the area continues to cause panic among locals, who now think that the government has discovered minerals in the area and they could be displaced.
Agago District leaders have attributed land conflicts in Adilang, Lapono, Lira-Kato, Paimol, and Omiya-Pachua sub-counties to a suspected discovery of precious minerals in the area.
On Tuesday, Mr Matthew Lagen, the Lapono sub-county chairperson, said some unscrupulous individuals have recently attempted to grab more than 5,000 hectares of land while the National Forestry Authority (NFA) wants to evict thousands of residents in his area.
Mr Lagen said that even after the title was cancelled, the frequent sighting of aeroplanes flying over the area continues to cause panic among locals, who now think that the government has discovered minerals in the area and they could be displaced.
“The title has been cancelled, but our biggest worry now is that we keep seeing planes flying over the contested land every day, and I believe all this conflict and interest is coming because of the minerals that are said to have been discovered in the area,” Mr Lagen said.
According to Mr Ojok Okidi, the Lira-Kato LC3 chairperson, the NFA has continued to threaten the communities in the contested area with eviction, claiming that it is part of the gazetted forest reserve.
He said the issue must be addressed because communities have lived in the area for more than 50 years.
In April 2024, the Lands ministry cancelled a title for 7,537 hectares of land in the contested area, saying it had been dubiously issued.
The cancellation of the title on block 1, plot 11 in Karenga, Agago, followed a revelation that it was issued to two individuals, Mr Lucky Joseph Kidega and Mr David Ocan, on land that belonged to the communities in Agago.
The Office of Titles at the ministry, according to an internal memo this newspaper saw, learnt of the irregular title in February after the district and community leaders complained during a public gathering on February 26 in Lapono Sub-county.
In April, about 40 residents from the area petitioned Parliament to investigate possible fraud in the issuance of titles to the land in question and also the alleged discovery of minerals in the area.
According to the petition, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development reportedly discovered some minerals in the area and soldiers were deployed in the area without engaging community members.
“However, they started their operation with the community just seeing them pour in soldiers, causing a lot of ...fear,” the petition reads in part.
The petitioners also accused the Agago Resident District Commissioner, Mr Nabinson Kidega, of moving to different meetings and claiming that the people of Lapono, Lira-Kato, Omiya Pachua, and Paimol had already given the contested land to an investor.
“On October 17, 2023, the RDC said in a meeting that the people had already given their customary land to investors. The RDC is even now using the Uganda Police and National Forestry Authority police to intimidate some leaders who are standing ...with the community,” part of the petition reads.
Mr Amos Okot, the Agago North MP, said: “The actions by the NFA are geared towards land grabbing, and the people are crying. On that same land, the actions by the Uganda Wildlife Authority are unbearable to the extent that the game rangers are being seen as if they are the ones driving animals to destroy people’s crops. At least 10,000 acres of crops have been destroyed.”
Last month, during a stakeholder engagement on minerals, oil, and gas in the Acholi Sub-region organised by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development in Gulu City, Acholi leaders asked the government to provide details of all mineral discoveries and the extraction protocol.
But, in response, Ms Ruth Nankabirwa, the Energy minister, said the government was hiding information from mineral-rich communities due to the fear of speculators, land grabbing and dubious land dealers who solicit huge compensations from the government.
“If we are to display maps of minerals in Acholi land, people from all parts of the country will run to buy land to wait and deal with the investors themselves,” she said.
Besides the oil, gas, and graphite exploration, the government recently disclosed that several minerals were discovered in Acholi sub-region after airborne geophysical mapping was done.
The mapping discovered new targets of uranium deposits for detailed exploration in Namokora and Ogili, including the Pader-Agago Basin that stretches through Kitgum and Agago districts.
Attempts to speak to Mr Kidega (Agago RDC) were futile by press time.
At the weekend, the Energy ministry’s spokesperson, Dr Patricia Litho, said, “The ministry has not made any entry into the community because in most cases we start with a visit to the local leaders before we could go to the community.”
