Amuria residents protest over planned land takeover

Bare-chested Kapelebyong residents listen to members of the Parliamentary Committee on Physical Infrastructure on Saturday. Photo by Simon Peter Emwamu

What you need to know:

The residents turn up bare-chested at a meeting over government’s plan to construct a barracks in the area.

Hundreds of Kapelebyong residents in Amuria District on Saturday turned up bare-chested to protest against the government’s plan to acquire their land.

The land in question is located in Okunguru in Kapelebyong County where the government plans to establish a barracks and a livestock multiplication site.
The locals accused their area MP, Mr Peter Eriaku, the district chairperson, Mr Francis Oluma, and the RDC, Mr Charles Kurwa of okaying the giveaway.

This was during the visit by the Parliamentary Committee on Physical Infrastructure to the area.

The residents carried placards and chanted slogans against the planned land giveaway, amid heavy deployment by the police and the army.
They also criticised their leaders for allegedly sending false minutes to Parliament about how the council had endorsed the plan.

The people told committee members headed by Mr Samuel Ssemugaba that the said council meeting never took place.

Instead, they alleged that the Minister for Teso Affairs, Ms Christine Amongin, the State Minister for Relief and Disaster Preparedness, Mr Musa Ecweru, and Ms Eriaku’s political agents, attended.

Mr Martin Odeng, one of the residents, said: “Before we were forced into camp life for many years, we used to cultivate and graze on this land. Now that we are resettling, they want us to go to the streets.”

However, Mr Kurwa insisted that the project must go on, saying the land in question belongs to the government.

He said those against the project do not know the geographical boundaries of Uganda.