Lyantonde residents refuse to vacate land

Residents occupying government land at Makukulu Village in Kaliiro Sub-county, Lyantonde District have vowed to not vacate until the district comes up with a clear relocation plan.
Last month, the district leadership gave the residents up to January 30 of next year to look for alternative land for relocation or face eviction.
 The district plans to set up a demonstration farm on the disputed land on Block 47, Plots 13, 24, and 25 measuring over 242.541 acres.
The land initially housed a veterinary field station owned by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF).

Grace period
The Makukulu Village chairperson, Mr Charles Kamugisha, said the district should use the four-month grace period to resettle the affected residents.
“The affected people from 1,000 households have nowhere to start from. It will be a relief for them to get like five acres where they can construct houses, settle permanently and also grow some food,” Mr Kamugisha said on Wednesday.
The disputed land also accommodates New Hope Community Nursery and Primary School.
Mr Harriet Kyomuhangi, a resident of Makukulu Village, claims that she had received information that the district leaders are using the demonstration farm as a cover-up to sell the land to a private investor.
Mr Godfrey Mbeteyerize, the Lyantonde Resident District Commissioner, said the affected residents illegally occupied land and that it is not the government’s responsibility to resettle them.

 “This time we are determined to repossess our land. We want to use it as a demonstration farm to teach residents in this semi-arid area modern farming techniques,” he said.
He added: “Those [squatters] who will still be occupying that land by January 30, 2023, will be evicted and taken to the courts of law.”
Mr George Kabende, the caretaker of the land, said he has since 2000 been fighting off squatters on the land.
 “I have been in local council courts trying my best to stop people from illegally occupying this land in vain. They [squatters] are being supported by local politicians for their selfish interests,” he said.  
Mr Kabende claimed that some of the occupants on the land migrated from Kasese while others came from neighbouring Rwanda.
 The Lyantonde District Chief Administrative Officer, Mr Hood Nsubuuga, said unscrupulous people hoodwinked some squatters to pay for land well knowing that it belonged to the government. 
Other issue
Mr Nsubuuga revealed that previous attempts by Ministry of Agriculture to reclaim the land were in vain as squatters put up a spirited fight.

On April 26, 2020, the government issued the first eviction notice for the squatters to vacate the land by July 31, of the same year. However, the latter protested the move, and petitioned the Justice Catherine Bamugemereire–led land commission saying the government was unlawfully planning to evict them.
The squatters also alleged that some unscrupulous individuals were renting out part of the land and not remitting the proceeds to the government.