Masaka Hospital sits on 49 acres of land. But According to the Hospital Superintendent Doctor Nathan Onyachi, ten of these are currently occupied by encroachers, who have erected permanent structures and opened part of it for farming activities.
At least 50 families and a Pentecostal Church face eviction from land owned by Masaka Regional Referral Hospital land in Masaka municipality.
Masaka Hospital sits on 49 acres of land. But According to the Hospital Superintendent Doctor Nathan Onyachi, ten of these are currently occupied by encroachers, who have erected permanent structures and opened part of it for farming activities.
But some of the alleged encroachers say that claim that they have documents of ownership on the said land. For instance, leaders of Kigamba Worship Centre, one of those listed for possible eviction; say that they secured a 49-year lease title in 2010, from the former Masaka district land board.
However, Dr Onyachi says the available documents do not validate any of the existing private settlements. Dr Onyachi says that the establishments threaten the hospital's expansion plans adding that they are reaching out to the local authorities for support on how to regain its land.
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Dr Onyachi adds that they are considering reawakening efforts of his predecessors who attempted to secure the land before they were frustrated by higher government offices that had been petitioned by the encroachers.
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But the Minister of Health, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, has urged the encroachers to courteously leave the hospital land other than waiting to be forcibly evicted. She argues that the hospital is a public good that should be preserved for future generations.
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Meanwhile, the new Masaka district Land Board is currently reviewing all contested land title awards particularly those of public facilities like schools and hospitals.
