Museveni stops Mukono evictions

Mukono

President Museveni Thursday stopped the ongoing evictions in Kirangira village Mukono District.
Museveni ordered the Regional police commander Kampala East Micheal Musani and the District Police Commander Rogers Sseguya to stop any evictions in this area.
"No more evictions here even if they come with court orders," Mr Museveni told the police commanders.
Mr Museveni said residents whose houses were not demolished should continue with their normal lives and also carry out their activities like farming on the land.

"You are free to use this land because nobody is going to evict you. If you were already evicted, please don't first come back so that we avoid confusion; hold on as we carry out investigations. I don't want to add more confusion to another confusion because it will interfere with the investigations,” he said.

Mr Museveni stressed that it was not right to evict people like Mzee Hosea Sonko, 84, who reportedly bought a piece of land by from one Ham Mukasa in 1940s.
"If you occupy land in the presence of the owner, that means you are a lawful owner then you cannot be evicted by any other. You have to live on that piece of land with children and grandchildren," Mr Museveni added.
He said there are three kinds of people who are not supposed to be evicted including bonafide occupants.

Mzee Sonko who has lived on the disputed land since 1942 said the land belongs to Ham Mukasa not Dick Banoba who is claiming it.
He said: “Ham Mukasa passed on in 1956, and his son James Hannington Mukasa inherited it, Mukasa also passed on and George Kasede inherited it. I don't know how Banoba came in but I tried to approach him as any bibanja holder would do but he ignored me and instead ordered police to arrest me."
Back ground

Over 200 people were evicted from their homes in Kirangira- Lwanyonyi Village, in Mukono District by court brokers in May this year.
Police officers led by then acting Mukono District Police Commander by then Mr Henry Abaho, enforced the eviction after Mr Banoba secured an eviction order from Mukono Chief Magistrates Court.
Mr Banoba said he bought the land in 1971 from Dr Emmanuel Lumu and registered it in 1973.
Mr Banoba claimed he has been battling in court with a group of squatters for over 30 years.
He said by the time he bought the land, about 30 residents lived on it illegally.

He reportedly called a meeting at Kirangira primary school in 1987 but only a few attended.
"I wanted to discuss with these people on my land for a way forward but they ignored the meeting. Actually I am a resident of Lwanyonyi and I have a farm here but these people have never bothered to approach me. The only thing they can do is to threaten me," Mr Banoba said.
He also accused some of the ‘squatters’ of selling ‘his’ plots of land to other people.

"I have been discussing with 22 residents who lived on the land. A few accepted to vacate after compensation while others refused,” he said.
He identified one of his tenants as Hosea Sonko who has allegedly been selling plots to other people and yet he was reportedly aware of the rightful owner of the said land.
He said over 500 residents have been occupying his his 200-acre piece of with some having farms on it.
The residents petitioned government saying they had nowhere to go.