Businessman arrested over Nakaseke eviction

Hajj Swaib Yiga

KAMPALA- A businessman has been arrested for allegedly grabbing land and evicting hundreds of people in six villages in Kapeeka Sub-county, Nakaseke District.
The commission of inquiry into land matters chaired by Justice Catherine Bamugemereire ordered the arrest of Hajj Swaib Yiga, who was then detained at Wandegeya Police Station pending investigations into the matter.

Hajj Yiga’s woes emanate from a wrangle over more than 1,400 acres in the estate of the late Yakobo Lukwago in six villages in Kapeeka Sub-county, Nakaseke District. The land was under the management of the Administrator General’s Office.

It is alleged that Hajj Yiga has since September 2016 been employing a group of people armed with machetes and axes who have been destroying peoples’ crops in the villages. The complainants allege that their land was forcefully sub-divided and sold off to unknown people who have since started some construction on them.
Hajj Yiga was arrested after being quizzed for allegedly carving out peoples’ land, extortion, torturing residents, bribery and influencing to inflict pain, fraud and lying.

“Do you see how much you are a liar, a fraud, you abuse processes. It is because of you that police is forced to come and guard your maize and shoot. People are in prison on fictitious charges because they have to protect you and your maize, and children are employed on your farm; do you know the labour laws in Uganda?” Justice Bamugemereire asked.
“Mr Swaib, you will do us a favour and go with the Police to show us whether you made a statement in regard to the criminal charges. If you did not, they will take you to Wandegeya Police and you make one,” Justice Bamugemereire ordered.
Hajj Yiga, who denied grabbing any land, was also accused of squeezing the genitals of 15-year-old Stephen Mukumbya.

Documents presented to the commission indicate that Hajj Yiga tortured the boy before demanding for Shs1.2m from his mother to get him released. Hajj Yiga later presented documents from his lawyers asking the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to stay criminal proceedings of torture against him by a State attorney in Nakaseke in July this year.