60-year- old weeps before land probe

KAMPALA.

A 60-year-old man on Monday broke down and wept before the commission of inquiry into land matters in Kampala as he narrated the torture his father and other people of the Beerya clan suffered during the 1984 eviction in Butaleja District, in Eastern Uganda.
Mr Saliru Wangado Hamya broke down and wept as he told the commission how his father, Zubair Wandago died as a result of injuries he sustained from the beatings and burns on orders of one Haji Malik Koire, who was claiming for his land in Kakyonga Sub County.
“Haji Koire had never bought land from my father and he never grabbed our land. Our complaint is against Mr Kadri Hifude who grabbed our land,” lamented Mr Hamya while testifying before the Justice Catherine Bamugemereire-led commission.

Mr Hamya was testifying before the land probe investigating a dispute between the communities and two business people; Haji Malik Koire and Haji Kadri Hifude (now deceased).
It is alleged that in April 20015, the two businessmen with the help of armed policemen and stick-wielding men, without court order, invaded and evicted 5,000 farmers from their farm land which they occupied and cultivated for decades.
The land in dispute measuring more than 1,500 acres situated between Butaleja Town Council, Kakyonga and Mazimasa Sub Counties is a swamp adjacent to Doho government rice scheme which the complainants used for cultivation of rice and other crops.

Mr Hamya testified that the land woes started in 1977 and his late father (Zubair Wandago) told them that two rich men (Haji Koire and Hifude) with the help of then security officer in Amin’s government only identified as Musana wanted to grab their land.
“Koire’s son said that people of Muhula went to destroy his father’s fence at Muhula. That is not true and I want to put the record straight. My father being the chairman of the Beerya clan was arrested from a meeting near the grabbed land. It is during that meeting that Haji Koire came with armed security personnel and arrested ten elders including my father. They were beaten badly and tortured, bundled onto Koire’s tractor and taken to Butaleja Police,” he testified.

According to Mr Hamya, his father is one of the five people who were transferred to Tororo Police and tortured more over accusations of destroying Koire’s fence but no judgment was delivered until his death.
“When he left prison, his life was in bad state and doctors told him that his life was in danger because of too much fire effects.”
Admitting that they have never filed any case in court or before any authority, Mr Hamya accused the Resident District Commissioner and District Chairman and entire leadership of failing to cooperate in the fight against their plight.

“This is an indication that the leaders are only working in interest of the rich people only,” stressed Mr Hamya denying knowledge of any case before court against the Hifude family.
The farmers under their Doho-Muhula Out growers Association petitioned the commission accusing Haji Koire of colluding with the Police and the office of the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) to evict them from the farm land they occupied and cultivated over decades.
Last week, the Commission quizzed the District Police Commander (DPC) in charge of Kasangati, Mr Robert Kachumu in connection with the violent eviction of 5,000 rice farmers from 1,500 acre wetland in three sub counties of Butaleja District.

It is alleged that during his tenure as DPC of Butaleja District, Mr Kachumu commanded the forceful eviction of the farmers from the land they occupied and cultivated for decades.
Sitting at the National Records and Archives Center at Wandegeya, the Commission is investigating into the laws, processes and procedures by which land is administered and registered in the country.

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