UPDF brigadier refuses to vacate disputed Kayunga land

Work in Kayunga was temporarily paralysed yesterday after a section of leaders and residents staged a demonstration against the a Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) officer they accused of defying orders to vacate a disputed piece of land.

The group accused Brig James Kinaalwa of illegally occupying a prime piece of land adjacent to Kayunga Town offices and Kayunga Regional Referral Hospital.

During the protest, the group that was led by Mr Steven Ssebaana, the Kayunga Sub-county speaker, carried placards that read; “Brig Kinaalwa you should vacate the Kayunga land. Nobody is above the law”

They stormed the construction site carrying photos of the decorated army officer, which they later pasted on to the ironsheet fence at the construction site. 

They also carried all letters that had been written to the brigadier by the Kayunga chief administrative officer, Ms Roselyne Adong, directing the officer to vacate the land.

Brig Kinaalwa, who claims to have bought the 70ft by 100ft piece of land from Buganda Land Board ( BLB), was not at the contested land, where he is planning to construct a storeyed commercial building.

“How can a full UPDF officer who knows the law defy orders by the district authorities to vacate our land? We are asking for President Museveni’s intervention,” Mr Ssebaana said.

Police later arrived, calmed the protesters and later allowed them access the construction site where they ordered the workers to halt any further construction works.

The move by the protesters attracted the attention of Kayunga Town staff, patients and staff at the hospital, who gathered to see what had happened.

“We shall bring our beddings and sleep here if he doesn’t vacate this land,” Ms Prossy Naava, the Kayunga Town Council secretary for health, said.

Mr Dennis Bugaya, the BLB spokesperson, declined to speak about the matter.

Brig Kinaalwa, however, said he bought the land at Shs35m and wondered why Mengo was not the one protesting his occupancy of the land.

“Let them go to court if they think I just grabbed this land,” Brig Kinaalwa said.

The Kayunga Resident District commissioner (RDC), Mr Ssempala Kigozi, who earlier directed the brigadier halt construction works said his office had received a complaint by Kayunga Sub-county leaders and was planning to summon Brig Kinaalwa to hear his side of the story.

“I am going to summon all parties involved in this saga so that I get the truth,” the RDC said.
But Ms Flavia Byekwaso, the UPDF spokesperson, said Brig Kinaalwa was doing so in his individual capacity and not UPDF.

“If the council feels it is not satisfied, there are other channels to take,” Brig Byekwaso said in a phone interview. 
Kayunga District is a hotbed of land wrangles which has attracted the attention of President Museveni but is yet to resolve the matter.