Nakaseke reinstates 20 evicted families

About 20 families that were evicted from a 15-acre piece of land by a landlord at Bugema Village, Kikamulo Sub-county in Nakaseke District, have been temporarily reinstated by the district authorities.

The leaders cite irregularity in eviction execution.

Mr Africano Arikundira, the Nakaseke deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC), who led a district team to the site where a landlord reportedly destroyed more than eight acres of banana and coffee plantations before evicting the affected families and fencing off the land, ordered the destruction of the fence and repossession of the land until the matter is resolved.

“It is wrong for the landlord to use the police to execute a court eviction order yet we clearly know that the execution process calls for thorough scrutiny of the documents and the blessing of the district security committee headed by the office of the RDC. We should not bring about anarchy and brew discontent on matters that can be resolved amicably,” Mr Arikundira said on Thursday.

He added: “You clearly see the ground rates (busuulu) receipts from the tenants. This is an indication that the landlord is simply stubborn. You should repossess the land.”
The deputy RDC explained that possession of a court eviction order does not guarantee an automatic eviction of people from land.

“You cannot act with impunity in a place where the leaders are present. I also blame the police siding with some landlords in particular cases where people have been evicted without following the correct procedure. I do not contest the fact that the land was sold but how do you handle the tenants who are lawful occupants on land that you have acquired as a new landlord?” he asked.

Mr Mutyaba Muwanga, 60, one of the affected tenants, claims that they have been paying ground rates as required by law.

“The new landlord hired some people to destroy all our crops and fence off the land, leaving our respective families stranded.. The land has been fenced off with our respective families unable to access the gardens. We have stayed on this land for more than 40 years,” Mutyaba claimed in an interview.

Ms Margaret Nanyonga, another affected resident, claimed that they never got a fair hearing when the landlord went to the courts of law to process an eviction order.

“All out attempts to go and meet the court officials were unsuccessful since the landlord had already processed the eviction order. We were brutally treated and insulted by the people hired by the landlord to destroy our gardens and fence off the land. The landlord claims that he wants to establish a farm on this particular land,” Ms Nanyonga said.

Mr Muwada Kalungi, the Bugema Village chairperson, on Tuesday said land disputes had raised insecurity in the area.

“We are puzzled as leaders when people come with documents from court in company of the police. We are often rendered powerless as local leaders. These people lost their gardens as the police kept watch. My concern is with the way these people were treated. We are worried that land evictions could breed insecurity. These people wanted to revenge but we calmed them,” he said.

Landlord position
Mr Erone Nsamba, who claims to represent Mr Richard Kiwanuka, the landlord, told a meeting convened by the deputy RDC that they had acted within the law and that the tenants had been alerted about the eviction.

“Mr Kiwanuka bought this land from Ms Gladys Nakajigo in 2011. This land belonged to the late Tofiri Kasolo. By fencing off the land, we wanted to ensure that we do not get into problems with people who had planned to encroach on the land,” Mr Nsamba said.