Business paralyzed in Fort Portal as people reject eviction
Police and residents standing on sacks of chicken mash before the eviction process was halted by the Rwenzori regional Police Commander Mr Peter Nkulenga in Fort Portal. PHOTO BY ALEX ASHABA
What you need to know:
- Business in Fort Portal town was paralyzed after residents violently rejected the eviction of Tooro kingdom by police and a court bailiff who had on May 30 come to implement a court order issued by the Grade I magistrate of Fort Portal Nazifah Namayanja.
- The said plot of land contains a building with a store of merchandise belonging to veterans under Tooro kingdom.
- Court on April 19 issued an order to allow Mr Fenehansi Mwanguhya as the full owner of the land suit that has been contested in court against King Oyo Nyimba of Tooro kingdom.
Business in Fort Portal town was paralyzed after residents violently rejected the eviction of Tooro kingdom by police and a court bailiff who had on May 30 come to implement a court order issued by the Grade I magistrate of Fort Portal Nazifah Namayanja.
The court bailiff, Mr Jacob Turyasiima, the Regional Police Commander, Mr Peter Nkulenga and Kabarole District Police Commander Mr Musa Tibakirana found a hard time to evict a business entity on the disputed land; Plot 1, Malibo road, Block 73, South division Fort Portal town.
The said plot of land contains a building with a store of merchandise belonging to veterans under Tooro kingdom.
The court bailiff had earlier removed merchandise from the store including over 100 sacks of chicken mash, maize among others. Residents who were opposing this got violent leading to the deployment of police, military police and Tooro kingdom royal guards.
Sensing danger, the Rwenzori Regional Police Commander Mr Peter Nkulenga called off the court order out of fear that some lives would be lost in the process.
“We had come to witness the peaceful eviction of people from the land and put the rightful owner of the land following a court order but people were turning against the eviction process. I decided to call off the court order until further notice,” Nkulenga explained.
Court on April 19 issued an order to allow Mr Fenehansi Mwanguhya as the full owner of the land suit that has been contested in court against King Oyo Nyimba of Tooro kingdom.
Magistrate Namayanja indicated in the order that the defendant (King Oyo) failed to appear in court to defend himself on the land suit and indicated him as a trespasser on the land.
Court earlier ruled that on October 1, 2009 Mr Fenehansi Mwanguhya bought the land in dispute from the defendant (King Oyo) and Tooro kingdom undertook to process a lease offer of 49 years.
The lease offer was to transfer the land into the names of Mr Fenehansi Mwanguhya but the same kingdom has claimed the land and that it had never sold it to him.
Tooro kingdom owns big chunks of land in Fort Portal town of which some have been contested in court.
