Government embarks on reopening Sango Bay Estate land boundaries

The government has started reopening boundaries on the disputed Sango Bay Estate land in Kyotera District.

The exercise, which kicked off last week will cover 247 square miles part of which is currently occupied by thousands of squatters. 

The government through the Ministry of Agriculture plans to use part of the land to grow palm oil, but it is facing resistance from the squatters who claim to have a legal interest in the land.

The affected residents, mostly herders, are in the villages of Kanamiti, Matengeeto, Mutukula, Lukulavu, Lukoma, and Kabale, all in Kakuuto Sub-county. Others are in the villages of Kasasa and Kyebe.

According to Mr Ignatius Tumwesiga, a liaison consultant on Sango Bay Estate, so far they have opened boundaries of about 100 square miles and the operation is running smoothly without any hesitation from the squatters.

“We conducted prior sensitisation programmes among communities not to interfere with the ongoing exercise of boundary opening and the locals have kept calm in areas where the exercise is taking place,” he said in an interview on Wednesday.

Although local leaders claim that Sango Bay Estate land houses over 10,000 squatters, the government insists that bonafide occupants are only 300 and these are the ones who will receive compensation.

Mr George Bagire, a councilor representing Mayanja sub-county at Kyotera District council said the boundary reopening exercise is marred by intimidations and heavy deployment of both soldiers and police officers which curtailed some of them from following up the exercise.

“A few meetings were held most especially in trading centres with heavy security deployment which denied the affected residents a chance to share their views,” he said.

Kyotera Resident District Commissioner, Hajj Moses Ddumba, said some local politicians are politicising the boundary opening exercise noting that the government is exploiting all avenues available to prepare locals for the project.

“Instead of local leaders decampaigning the exercise [boundary opening], they should join us to show the people of Kyotera how good the palm oil project is,” he said.

The first attempt by the government to take over the land was in 2012, but residents put up a spirited fight and resisted eviction.
Initially, the Sango Bay land was housing a sugar estate owned by the Sharad Patel family. It also has four central forest reserves, an airstrip, and an internationally recognised wetland (Ramsar site). A big chunk of the land is currently being used by herders as grazing ground.

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