Residents accuse Museveni’s brother of grabbing their land

ISINGIRO.

Eighteen families have protested against President Museveni’s brother, Mr Michael Toyota, whom they accuse of seeking to take their land illegally.

The families in Rwambaga village, Busheeka Parish in Isingiro District, accuse Mr Toyota of trying to grab their 190 hectares of land where they say they have lived since 1970s. The land conflict first came up in 2009 but local authorities, including President Museveni, intervened.

While there has been a lull following intervention in 2010, the families say Mr Toyota in January this year revived his move to chase them from the land.

Saturday Monitor has seen documents about the dispute over the land. On August 6, 2009 the then Isingiro Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Ms Idah Mehangye, wrote to Endizi Sub-county Chief directing him to intervene in the matter.

The letter is titled ‘Land conflict of 18 families Vs Mzee Amos Kaguta and Fred Katunguka.’

“A group of 18 families have complained to my office that their land has been included in the land title of the above people. The Baataka (18 families) have been on this land since 1988. The purpose of this letter is to ask you to visit this place of conflict in Rwambaga Cell to establish the facts and try to solve the conflict amicably,” the letter reads in part.

After six months the conflict resurged. The families were forced to write to the President on February 18, 2010.

“We have the land conflict between 18 families with Fred Katunguka and Michael Toyota, which took place some months ago. They came with surveyors and evicted (us from our) lands. When we came to stop them they told us that they are from the President’s office, that if we ‘touch’ them they will put us in prison,” the letter reads in part.

“We went ahead and put our complaints to Rwambaga LCI chairman and he gave us a letter which we took to Resident District Commissioner for Isingiro. The RDC directed the Sub-county chief, Endizi to visit the scene,” it adds.

The residents say later Toyota and Katunguka came and told them that after the 2011 elections they would come back and take them to court.
“Your Excellency Sir, we are extending our request to you that you intervene in our matter.
Your Excellency, we are 18 families, including widows, orphans and poor people who are behind you in Movement (NRM), which brought peace and unity in Uganda that allowed poor people to stand and have a voice,” the residents state in their petition.

They say they bought the land and they attached the agreements. Mr Elia Shubi, one of the complainants, told Saturday Monitor this week: “RDC Idah Mehangye came and told us that President sent him to assure us that no one will chase us from our land but now we are wondering seeing Toyota continue threatening us that he is coming to evict us soon.”

Isingiro Deputy RDC DamianoTuryatunga said he had received complaints from the families that Mr Toyota was taking their land.

“They reported in my office in January and I called the accused person, Toyota and held a meeting with them at the land they are fighting for. We had district leaders and area Member of Parliament. This land has been wrangled over for so long but the problem is that Toyota claims to be having the title for that land,” Mr Turyatunga said.

“During the meeting Toyota said they will have a mutual understanding on whether to compensate those who are willing to leave the land freely and evict those who do not want to leave,” he added.

On March 10, the families again wrote to the President through the First Lady, Ms Janet Museveni, to save them from eviction.
Efforts to get a comment from Mr Toyota were futile.

Last Thursday he said he was in Juba, South Sudan, and that he would respond when he came back this week. He has since not responded to our repeated phone calls.