Police, Lira District lock horns over land
Lira- Lira District and the Uganda Police Force are embroiled in a row over ownership of plots of land around Erute prisons, Ireda and Ojwina in Lira District.
The houses at Ireda Housing Estate are currently being occupied by Lira District civil servants while others have been rented out to tenants by Lira District Local Government.
Part of the disputed land in Erute is also being used as police headquarters and offices for the Professional Standards Unit of the police and the force’s Land Complaints Desk. It was previously occupied by Local Administration Police (LAP) before such operations were transferred to central government under Uganda Police Force.
Lira District now wants to give the land to private developers, but the police have described the move as unlawful and warned them against giving out the land.
A letter dated September 11, 2018, from the police headquarters in Kampala to North Kyoga Regional police commander, which was signed by Ms Christine Nanding on behalf of the Inspector General of Police, indicates that the land is by law under Uganda Police being one of the properties they inherited from Local Administration Police (LAP).
The letter instructed the RPC to take actual possession of the police land and ensure effective investigations of the case arising from it and further to ensure the security of concerned citizens who are supporting and protecting police land.
Lira District Chief Administrative officer, Mr Mark Tivu, said the Ireda Housing Estates, plots in Erute and Ojwina Division was taken over by Lira District Local Government in 2006 soon after the disbandment of Local Administration Police that were under Lira District local government.
“When the transition took place, police left the land and the properties were reverted to Lira district local government. This land has been managed by the district since 2006 to date. The new Akii-Bua site was part of this land and the district donated it to Ministry of Education and Sports for the development of Akii-Bua Stadium,” he said.
The integration of Local Administration police into the Uganda police force as per the Police (Amendment) Act, 2006 S67A, 67B and 67C required that the properties belonging to and used by Local Administration Police be transferred to the Uganda Police Force. Mr Tivu said the Police Act did not state clearly which assets were to be reverted back to Uganda Police Force.
According to Tivu, police started claiming the land after realising that the construction of a modest international stadium has kicked off adjacent to the plots at Erute.
“In the wisdom of the council, it thought that these place needs to be developed. When the processes starts, police started claiming the land belongs to them and it must not be given out private developers,” he said
“The Local Administration Police were under the local government and the properties that they were using were given by the local government. So, they cannot say the land belongs to them and they can take way the way they want,” he added.
The North Kyoga Regional police spokesperson, Mr David Ongom Mudong said: “The Police Act is very clear on this. When Uganda Police took over LAP, it took everything including staff, properties and land.”
