Address illegal land evictions, Masaka Bishop Jjumba asks govt

Masaka Catholic Bishop Serverus Jjumba has asked government to heighten efforts aimed at addressing illegal land evictions which have left many households landless.

Bishop Jjumba highlighted the rampant cases of land evictions allegedly conducted by highly connected people with the help of police and the army in Lyantonde, Sembabule and Kyotera districts, all in the Masaka Sub-region.

“We used to live in harmony as bibanja holders [owners of untitled land] and landowners, but because of greed now, in several districts in our region and the country at large, this is becoming a serious issue that has created tension among communities and families,” he observed.

Delivering his Easter message from his residence, he added that: “This is not the peace the risen Christ is bringing us.”

Speaking from Kitovu in Masaka City, Bishop Jjumba decried violence resulting from illegal evictions as a cause of several deaths and injuries in communities.

He also urged judicial officers to avoid being used by moneyed land grabbers.

“I want to emphasize that courts should desist from aiding perpetrators. Let the decisions of the court remain blind without favouring the rich at the expense of the poor,” he noted on Thursday.

Meantime, the prelate told Christians to keep away from illegalities likely to cause human suffering even after the Easter season.

Additionally, the bishop condemned rampant encroachment on key ecosystems in the country as he urged locals and authorities to engage in the fight against environmental degradation to tame climate change.

“Wetlands and forests are crucial in our living and I urge all of us to endeavor to protect them. Let's handle it with care to avoid damaging our environment,” he cautioned.

Land has in the last two decades become a sticky issue in many districts across Uganda where wealthy people with land titles are evicting poor tenants from what they call their ancestral land claiming that they are illegally settling on the land.

In the process repossessing their land, many landlords have been chased away by angry tenants and in some instances lynched or harmed.

It is against that background that government is pushing for land reforms which state officials say are aimed at curing land grabbing.