Bunyoro kingdom asks government to halt evictions

Helpless. Children at the makeshift shelters in Bukinda Village, Kyangwali Sub-county in Kikuube District on March 26, 2014. The land occupied by the residents is being claimed by government. PHOTO BY FRANCIS MUGERWA

What you need to know:

  • However, the kigdom claims government has expanded the boundaries of Kyangwali refugee camp beyond the 50 square miles which the Kingdom offered to government. For a long time, Bunyoro sub region has been a hot bed of ethnic and land wrangles.

Hoima. Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom has asked government to halt any planned evictions of people in Kyangwali Sub-county, in the newly created Kikuube District.
The Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom Prime Minister, Mr Andrew Byakutaga said that on September 30, he received a formal complaint from the people of Katikara and Bukinda parishes of Kyangwali Sub-county, claiming that they are living in fear of being evicted by OPM officials.

They claimed the reason for the looming eviction was to expand the boundaries of Kyangwali Refugee Settlement camp.
“The Kingdom is concerned over the alleged eviction threats at this time when the people of Kyangwali have not yet recovered from the 2013 and 2014 displacement that left many people injured and property worth millions of shillings destroyed,” the Primier stated in his written submission.

Adding: “The Office of the Prime Minister should halt the impending eviction until the issue of boundaries is resolved with Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom and the communities surrounding Kyangwali refugee settlement.”

Mr Byakutaga’s submission was read out on his behalf by Haj. Burhan Kyakuhaire, the Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom’s special assistant for culture.
Byakutaga told lawmakers that in 1960s, Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom offered land to government to settle refugees from Rwanda in Kyangwali Sub-county.

Investigation.
On September 19, Parliament tasked its Presidential Affairs Committee to investigate the alleged intention by government to evict locals in Kyangwali Sub-county to pave way for the expansion of Kyangwali refugee settlement camp.

Parliament made the ruling after the Buhaguzi MP, Mr Dan Muhairwe raised the concern during the plenary. To that effect, the MPs on Presidential Affairs Committee of Parliament, met the Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom officers on Friday at Rukurato Hall in Hoima Town, following their visit to Kyangwali Refugee Settlement camp and the communities living adjacent to the settlement.

The area where the refugees were resettled had settlements and gardens for indigenous communities of Bunyoro Kitara who were officially recognized by Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom. The Kingdom leased land to government measuring approximately 50 square miles.

However, the kigdom claims government has expanded the boundaries of Kyangwali refugee camp beyond the 50 square miles which the Kingdom offered to government. For a long time, Bunyoro sub region has been a hot bed of ethnic and land wrangles.

THE PARLIAMENT DIRECTIVE

In September, the Speaker of Parliament, Ms Rebecca Kadaga, issued a directive, barring the expansion of Kyangwali refugee camp.
The directive followed an outcry by Buhaguzi County MP Daniel Muheirwe, who accused the Office of the Prime Minister for the impending eviction of residents of Kasonga parish that borders the camp. “They want to expand the boundaries of Kyangwali refugee camp by squeezing 28 villages of Kasonga parish from 17sqkm to 6km,” Mr Muheirwe said, adding:
“We are worried because they said they are not going to compensate residents for the developments on the land or give them relocation allowances.”
The boundaries of Kyangwali under contestation are those of Kasonga Parish, which houses its headquarters, a primary school, five churches and other places of worship.

What the kingdom says

In 2013, thousands of people in Bukinda parish in Kyangwali Sub County were reportedly evicted by the police and the army who were in an operation led by the prime minister’s office. Mr Byakutaga argued that whereas Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom offered land and hospitality for the refugees, Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom received nothing in return not even appreciation or Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) from UN agencies that manage refugees.

He proposed that government and other sitting tenants should negotiate with the landlord, Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom, on the new terms of using the land. “We appreciate that hosting refugees is a national and international obligation of Uganda. However, hosting refugees should not disadvantage the refugee hosting communities” Byakutaga cautioned.
He said the Kingdom has also learnt that government through the Uganda Land Commission (ULC), proceeded to process and secure land titles for the office of the Prime Minister and UPDF without consulting the Kingdom.