Soroti nude protesters charged with being a public nuisance
Women staging a nude protest in Soroti district last month over attempts by Soroti University officials to take over part of their land
Two women who recently staged nude protests in Soroti district following Soroti University officials’ attempts to take part of their land have been charged with being a public nuisance.
Teddy Atubo and Immaculate Ariokot, from Apuuton village, Arapai sub-county, were charged before Soroti Chief Magistrate Baker Rwatoro for engaging in a shameful act and interfering with the peace and convenience of others. They denied the charges.
Their trial arises out of the protest in which a group of women from Arapai in Soroti District last month stripped naked protesting against attempts by Soroti University officials to take over part of their land. The women protested claiming the proposed Soroti university project was encroaching on their land.
The land in question measuring 980 acres was donated to Teso College Aloet by residents.
However, Teso College Aloet reportedly carved 460 acres of the same land and donated it to Soroti University. But the residents claim that the University has since encroached further into their territory, erroneously taking up another 140 acres of their land.
The women were remanded to Soroti government prison until 21st July 2015 after failing to secure bail for lack of credible sureties.
This was not the first time women stripped to protect their land from land grabbers.
In April this year, elderly women from Amuru District stripped before Lands minister Daudi Migereko and his Interior ministry counterpart Gen Aronda Nyakairima, when they had visited the district to settle a border dispute between Adjumani and Amuru districts.
Last month, the Minister of State for Lands, Ms Aidah Nantaba, advised residents of Kayunga District, who are being evicted from their land to also undress before land grabbers as a tactic to scare them away.
Ms Nantaba, who is also the Kayunga District Woman MP, said during a land consultative meeting held in Nkonkonjeru Trading Centre, Kitimbwa Sub-county, that the district was dogged with land evictions.
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