Jamony Kilion, a resident of Sunzu Landing Site, revealed that his three houses have been submerged since September, leaving his family to sleep outdoors. Midar Ochama from Songa Landing Site said his two houses were also submerged, forcing him and his family to seek shelter at a relative’s home.
Philkol Mpairwe, the LC1 Chairperson for Kibambbura Village in Ngwedu sub-county, highlighted the fear many families in his area are living with due to threats of eviction. He claims that several tycoons have already obtained land titles for properties occupied by local residents, often without their knowledge or consent.
They accuse their leaders of failing to take sufficient action to rehabilitate the roads, many of which have not seen any maintenance in over twenty years, rendering them nearly impassable.
Available information obtained by Uganda Radio Network (URN) reveals that the assailants raided the home where the trio was sleeping, strangling Murungi to death
According to the residents and leaders, for one to acquire an acre of land in the forest reserve for cultivation, he or she should pay shillings 300,000.
This money is paid to agents deployed by NFA officials within the communities and after transacting the business, the agents’ hand over the money to top NFA management in the district and the region. The officials do not issue out receipts for the money paid to them fearing to be tracked and arrested.
According to the residents, ever since the inception of the sub county, they have not had a secondary school in the area. The situation has compelled children who complete primary education to drop out of school due to lack of secondary schools.
Michael Longole, the Mt Moroto Regional Police spokesperson said community members quickly notified security officers who collected the body from the scene.
Joy Kabarokore, one of the evictees, says that during the eviction, she was brutally beaten by the security personnel when she demanded to know why they were being evicted from the land, which they have occupied for years.
The residents are demanding for heightened security surveillance network, especially at the Uganda-DR Congo border given the porous border on Lake Albert shores.
Jackson Bahemuka, a resident of Musajamukuru B village wants the MP investigated for fraudulently acquiring a title on their ancestral land without their consent, saying that they are living in fear of eviction from their homes.
Built in 2012, with funding from the World Bank and National Environment Management Authority-NEMA, the garbage recycling plant has remained nonfunctional due to the lack of electricity and running water.
In February this year, the Lands Ministry resumed the boundary opening exercise. The exercise hit another stalemate when residents protested the criteria used by the government to reopen the forest boundaries. However, in August this year, the Ministry and NFA revised the boundary opening exercise.
Erias Bin Karim, one of the affected residents says that in 2007, Mugabe bought 235 acres of land in the neighboring area and acquired a title in 2012. He says that Mugabe wants to use his title to grab 470 acres of land that belongs to them.
Muhereza Birungi, a resident of Buhirigi village, says patients especially expectant mothers face a lot of challenges accessing antenatal services because of the long distance they have to trek to health facilities.
