Their long-standing legal battle began in 2007—eight years after the death of their husband, Rajab Lakwo—over ownership of 90 acres of land in Atiwiyo Village, Agwayugi Parish, Lamogi Sub-county, in present-day Amuru District.
Sabina Angom, a victim of violent land grab shares her ordeal during a meeting in Atiwiyo village, Agwaygi Parish in Lamogi Subcounty Amuru district on June 20 2025.
After nearly two decades of fighting for rights to their late husband’s land, 71-year-old Sabina Angom and her co-wife, 67-year-old Adong Latim Kasongoro, are finally smiling again. Their long-standing legal battle began in 2007—eight years after the death of their husband, Rajab Lakwo—over ownership of 90 acres of land in Atiwiyo Village, Agwayugi Parish, Lamogi Sub-county, in present-day Amuru District.
The widows had only recently returned from Awee Internally Displaced People’s (IDP) Camp, where they had taken refuge since 1996 to escape the abductions and atrocities committed during the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency. But upon their return to where they called home, the widows found themselves in a fight over ownership of the land with Oola Origi, an elder from the neighboring rival clan of Pagoro, demanding they vacate the land.
Angom’s husband hailed from the Palero clan. However, what followed would be years of harassment, intimidation, physical attacks, and a drawn-out legal battle. Speaking to Uganda Radio Network in an interview over the weekend, Angom noted that she had never had a peaceful life and constantly lived in fear of intimidation.
She recalls an incident years ago, when the son of Origi, identified as Denis Laruukeny, attacked her from the garden with the intent to kill her over the land. Angom was lucky to survive the attack with injuries to her chest and a deep cut on her face, leaving scars that are still visible to date. The attacker, according to her, had taken away six acres of their farmland shared with her co-wife.
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Translation“…I thought they would use petrol to burn me in my hut. I went through hardship, they cut me with a machete, check on the scars of the wound on my face that the deceased wanted to cut from the garden, but if God is there, I got lucky and fought him to the ground before making an alarm. He knelt on my chest, and up to now, my chest still hurts,” says Angom.Denis Acire Omony, an in-law to the widows who has stood by their sides since the death of his brother, remembers vividly the genesis of the conflict. He says the contested land was obtained by his late grandfather in 1911 from the clan members of Patiko, adding that since then, they have lived on it and only left during the LRA insurgency in 1996.
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Translation“…This land was acquired by my grandfather in 1911 when he entered the land of the Patiko clan. He died here; he gave birth to Odong, who gave birth to me and Rajab, who died here. We haven’t moved anywhere. in 1996, we ran to the camp, and when they told people to leave the camps, we returned home. we didn’t move anywhere; we are still here tomorrow and tomorrow next,” says Acire.
He noted that the first conflict over the land started about in 2007 which the clan elder from Pagoro dragged them to the Amuru Chief Magistrate Court claiming ownership of the entire 90 acres of land. The matter was disposed of after the death of the complainant Oola Origi.
He said while they briefly regained use of the land, the deceased son, Denis Larukeny in 2009 forcefully occupied six acres of land used by the widows for farming with claims that the land was within the territory of the Pagoro Clan. Since then, according to him, the matter had been in court but Laruukeny illegally kept using the land despite all the local leaders opposing his move in favour of the widows.
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Laruukeny too died in October 2024 before a complaint lodged by the widows could be executed at the Amuru Chief Magistrate's court. Throughout the fight for the land, mediation efforts instituted by various chief of the hoes (Rwodi kweri) in the village and at the Parish levels failed to restore harmony despite all passing their rulings in favour of the widow’s claims to the rights of their land.
Unlike in other instances, where local leaders have been accused of connivance, Obalo Idak, the Chief of the hoe of Alonya village, said they all spoke with the same voice to dispense justice for the victims of the violent land grab. Idak said they had overwhelming evidence about the land rightly belonging to the widows due to testimonies from witnesses, but since they are not mandated to make decisions, the matter was referred to the Local Council Court presided over by the LCII Chairperson.
In Uganda, Section 10 of the Local Council Courts Act 2006, provides for the Legal jurisdiction of Local Council Courts. The courts are supervised by the Chief Magistrate court on behalf of the High Court.
Justice in Local Council Court
Ronald Nyeko, the LCII Chairperson of Agwayugi Parish, who presided over the court, said they started hearing the matter in November 2023. The court was composed of the LCII Chairperson, his vice, and secretary, Youth Chairperson, Chairperson of disabled persons, women, and elderly persons, Finance Secretary, and secretary for the environment.
According to him, statements from the complainants and the victims, and witnesses that included elders, were taken during the court process. He also noted that the land was physically inspected in the process to determine a fair and transport court decision. After nearly four months of hearing the matter, the local council court finally gave its verdict in favour of the widows on March 24, 202,4, giving them the authority to start using their land.
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Local courts helping vulnerable victims
Nyeko noted that while many locals tend to overlook the local council court, the court has helped give justice to victims of land grabs in his community. For Instance, he said they have so far conducted four successful court sessions that ended well, and the victims were able to regain use and ownership of their customary land.
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Despite the verdict of the Local Council Court and 14 14-day notice of appeal issued by the court to the perpetrator, he never responded, but instead started a physical attack on the victims.
Redeem International Intervenes
After a petition by the victims, Redeem International, a non-profit organization supporting widows and orphans facing violent land exploitation, intervened in the matter. Sharon Lamunu Topista, a legal representative at Redeem International, told Uganda Radio Network that when the widows approached them, they were advised to first seek redress from the local authorities, to which they won all the cases.
She expressed gratitude that through their empowerment of the local council court in handling the matter, the six acres of land have finally been returned to the widows, and harmony has been restored between the families of the victims and the perpetrator.
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Lamunu said that while the LCI and LCII are the first courts in land cases within the community, limited training of their members sometimes affects the decision-making of the court, making it impossible for the magistrates' court to execute their rulings.
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The Officer in-charge of Lamogi Sub-county Police Station, Wilber George Adekere emphasized that the LCI and LCII Chairpersons must first make attempts to handle matters of land conflicts within their area before referring it to the police. Adekere said community dialogues are one of the best ways to resolve land conflicts because the evidence is within the community and not with the police.
Following months of not receiving any appeal on the contested land, both Redeem International officials and the Local leaders on June 20 this year gave a go-ahead for the widows to resume full use of the six-acre piece of land.
The land restoration exercise was witnessed by the Chief hoes of the area, the LCII Chairperson of Agwayugi Parish, and the Officer in charge of Lamogi Sub-county Police station. Sabina Angom told Uganda Radio Network she was overwhelmed with emotions upon receiving back her land after more than a decade.
“I am happy that Redem International has helped me, the Chief hoes and the LCII have helped me, that’s why I am feeling well now,” she said. For Latim adong Kasongoro, the restoration of the land has given her freedom to cultivate the land without ever thinking about attacks. “I want to use the land for agriculture to increase money in my household,” the 67-year-old grandmother of 15 children said.
Both widows will utilize three acres each for farming.
Despite years of community sensitization, widows and orphans in the Acholi sub-region remain vulnerable to violent land grabbing, mostly orchestrated by their clan members. However, through mediation at the sub-county and court mediation efforts supported by Redeem International, 23 civil matters have so far been settled.
Through such initiatives, 445.1 acres of land have been secured in Gulu and Amuru districts, where the organization is serving up to 1,553 clients who include orphans and widows.
