Locals name Mutale, UETCL top officials in ghost land claims

Tororo- Two senior officials of Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) have been implicated in grabbing hectares of land earmarked for the construction of Tororo-Apuuyo -Lira electricity line.

Residents affected by the project in 34 villages in Tororo District have accused the UETCL Chief Executive Officer, Mr William Kiryahika, and his junior, Mr John Othieno, the principal environment officer, of creating fictitious names that were purportedly compensated for their land.

The Commission of Inquiry into Land Matters in the country is traversing the eastern region districts on a fact-finding mission.

The land probe team comprising police detectives, investigators and commissioners held a meeting with persons affected by the electricity transmission project at Pajwenda Village in Tororo District on Wednesday.
Residents also accused the UETCL officials of using armed soldiers commanded by presidential advisor Maj Kakooza Mutale to threaten them to give away their land without adequate compensation as required by the law.

Mr Abwon Oketcho, the affected residents’ leader, told the land probe team that he witnessed UETCL officials inviting the project affected persons to sign compensation forms from their car under duress.

“Maj Mutale comes here with military guards, threatens us that he is going to beat us. He [Mutale] told us that President Museveni asked him to come and discipline us for frustrating the government project,” Mr Oketcho told the commission.

He added that their efforts to seek help form police and the Inspectorate of Government had been fruitless.
Mr Oketcho presented bank documents of a non-existing claimant in the name of Livingstone Ominye that was included in the compensation report and used to withdraw compensation money from the bank.

Another resident, Mr James Obul, accused UETCL officials of conniving with a local council chairperson and former MP for Budama West Emmanuel Osuna to force them to sign compensation forms.

“We were forced to sign the documents very fast because the project was urgent and if we refused to sign for the money, it would be given to other communities in Lira District where the project was also going to pass,” he added.
Ms Hawa Mukwaya Babirye said UETCL officials promised to give her Shs42m as compensation for for her 9.2-acre piece of land, build for her a house and give her Sh200,000 as transport to the new home.

She said her property was valued at Shs75m and compensation was instead paid to Mr Martin Etyang, another claimant, without her knowledge.

Ms Agnes Abbo, a widow from Apeta Sub-county, accused Mr Othieno of causing the death of her husband when they “orced him to sign documents for compensation of my property at Sh554, 000, which was meant for trees and cassava.”
She said her husband died of emotional distress upon losing his entire land for such paltry compensation, which he was forced to sign by soldiers.

Ms Joyce Habaasa, one of the commissioners, described the complaints as unique, which would require a full investigation and subsequent public hearing into the matter to find a lasting solution.
However, Dr Rose Nakaayi, who chaired the meeting, promised locals that the commission will investigate the matter to establish the truth and recommend for a lasting solution for justice to prevail.
The commission’s fact finding visits will cover districts of Iganga, Butaleja, Tororo and Busia.

Titles for wetlands
The accusations come hardly a week after the land probe discovered that UETCL officials had valued titles issued for land in wetlands and forest reserves leading to fraudulent compensation claims worth billions of shillings.

Last week, Mr Othieno was detained for further investigation into his role in the valuation and compensation of contested land titles in Nambigirwa Wetland on the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway and Mugomba and Gunda forest reserves in Entebbe as well as wetlands in Luzira, Kinawataka and Namanve Forest Reserve in Mukono District.

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