Maria Ntonina Nakate, evictee
When the government deployed security forces to evict an estimated 401 households from four villages in Madudu Sub-county, Mubende District, in 2001 to pave the way for the Kaweri Coffee Plantation, hundreds were rendered homeless and helpless.
Some sought refuge with relatives while others ended up begging on the streets of Mubende Town. With support from human rights organisations, the affected families took the matter to court. After more than two decades of legal battles, some have finally received compensation. Ms Maria Ntonina Nakate, 86, is among those compensated. She partly attributes her deteriorating health to the violent eviction process carried out by the security forces who stormed her home in 2001. Now living in a leaking, single-room house in Kayana Village, Madudu Sub-county, Ms Nakate, who lost her sight six years ago, thanks God for having lived long enough to see justice served.
“When the eviction happened, my house, gardens, and belongings were destroyed. We were left to scatter like refugees. I’ve never fully recovered from the sickness that followed. But I thank God that I lived to receive the Shs3.6 million compensation,” she says.
Mr Solomon Andrew Musingi, the Mubende Assistant RDC
Surviving and fending for their families after being forcefully displaced from land they had occupied for years was one of the greatest struggles for the evictees, many of whom had dependents. Ms Margaret Namubiru, another victim from Kitemba Village, recalls the day soldiers arrived with a bulldozer and razed her home. “I was a young mother then. I lost my house, a cassava garden, and some tea plants. We mobilised and sued the government in 2001. The High Court ruled in our favour in Civil Suit No. 179 of 2002—Uganda vs. Kayiira Peter and 400 others—but the government appealed,” she says. Ms Namubiru was among the 258 evictees who later agreed to a partial consent judgment in 2022. However, the compensation did not include interest for the 20 years the case dragged on. “It was unfair, but many of us had lost hope of ever getting anything. I received Shs1.2 million in February 2025. That money could have bought land if paid in 2002,” she adds.
A long road to justice
Ms Veronica Kange, a lawyer with the Network of Public Interest Litigators (NETPIL) who has represented the victims, explains the events leading to the 2022 partial consent agreement between 258 evictees and the Attorney General. “We lost about 86 of the original 401 victims before they could see justice. Only 258 accepted the partial consent and received compensation. The other 143 rejected the offer and are back in court,” Ms Kange explains. She notes that the original court ruling in 2011 had awarded Shs37 billion to all 401 victims. However, the government appealed, and after a 2015 Court of Appeal decision, the matter was retried starting in 2016. “The 2022 agreement secured a payment of Shs2.58 billion for the 258 victims. The rest are seeking full compensation through a fresh legal process at the High Court in Mubende,” she adds. The disputed land—12 square miles spread across Kitemba, Luwunga, Kijunga, and Kiryamakobe villages—was allocated for the Kaweri Coffee Plantation.
Court battles and delays
In 2011, Justice Anup Singh Choudry ruled in favour of the evictees and ordered compensation of Shs37 billion. He criticised the government’s legal team for fraud, negligence, and misappropriation. However, the ruling was overturned by the Court of Appeal in 2015, citing jurisdictional issues. A retrial began in 2016 and stretched over seven years. Mr James Nyombi, one of the compensated victims, describes the 2022 consent as a “landmark victory,” albeit partial.
Ms Margaret Namibiru
Hard times
Mr Solomon Andrew Musindi, Mubende’s Assistant Resident District Commissioner and one of the evictees, recounts the hardship. “I was 25 at the time. My family lost more than 300 acres. Long court cases drain people—physically, emotionally, financially. I was among the 258 who agreed to settle in 2022 and got paid in January 2025,” he says.
On behalf of the government, Mr Musindi acknowledges past mistakes. “It was a brutal process that denied people their rights. At least the government has now made partial amends by compensating those who agreed to settle,” he adds. Mr Peter Kayiira Baleke, one of the original plaintiffs, rejected the consent agreement and is leading the group of 143 evictees still pursuing full compensation.
“We had proposed that each household be given at least 10 acres and Shs10 million. That clause was never honoured. A fair judgment would have addressed both land and monetary compensation,” he says.
Background
On June 18, 2001, security forces comprising Uganda Police and the UPDF evicted more than 2,600 people from Madudu Sub-county. Houses were demolished and food crops destroyed, leaving families destitute. With the help of ActionAid Uganda, the victims began pursuing justice in September 2001. The organisation provided basic relief and facilitated access to legal aid. Ms Esther Kisembo, the project coordinator at Fair Green and Global under ActionAid International Uganda, notes that many victims had to be supported even to attend court sessions in Kampala. While some evictees have now been compensated, Ms Veronica Kange notes the administrative hurdles. “Victims had to open bank accounts, have National IDs, NINs, and even pay fees to maintain accounts. “Families of deceased claimants needed death certificates. Some people almost pulled out after receiving allocations as low as Shs300,000,” she explains.
Mr Peter Kayiira, one of the Mubende evictees
Scattering like refugees.
When the eviction happened, my house, gardens, and belongings were destroyed. We were left to scatter like refugees. I’ve never fully recovered from the sickness that followed. But I thank God that I lived to receive the Shs3.6 million compensation,” Maria Ntonina Nakate, 86
Draining court process.
I was 25 at the time. My family lost more than 300 acres. Long court cases drain people—physically, emotionally, financially. I was among the 258 who agreed to settle in 2022 and got paid in January 2025,” Solomon Andrew Musindi, Mubende’s Assistant Resident District Commissioner
The losses. I was a young mother then. I lost my house, a cassava garden, and some tea plants. We mobilised and sued the government in 2001. The High Court ruled in our favour in Civil Suit No. 179 of 2002—Uganda vs. Kayiira Peter and 400 others—but the government appealed,” Margaret Namubiru, another victim
