Led by Gilbert Owonda, the area LC 1 Chairperson, the residents, say Kaahwa has a title covering 806 hectares in the neighboring Kakoma Burwe village but he wants to use it to forcefully grab their land in the neighboring area.
More than 500
families at Waaki landing site in Kibiro parish in Kigorobya Sub County in
Hoima district are at the verge of being evicted from their ancestral land. The
residents have been feuding with Franco
Kaahwa, a prominent businessman since 2010 over 2000 hectares of land.
The residents told a
Select Committee of parliament, which is investigating forceful land evictions
in Hoima district that several of them have been brutally arrested, tortured,
harassed and detained by security operatives hired by Kaahwa to chase them from
their land.
Led by Gilbert Owonda,
the area LC 1 Chairperson, the residents, say Kaahwa has a title covering 806
hectares in the neighboring Kakoma Burwe village but he wants to use it to
forcefully grab their land in the neighboring area.
They accused Police and Uganda Peoples Defense Forces officers of allegedly conniving
with Kaahwa to scare them off their land. According to the residents, the
latest attack occurred on Thursday last week when police officers raided the
area and arrested ten people cultivating their land.
The suspects were
reportedly brutally assaulted before they were whisked off to Hoima Central
police station where they are locked up to date. Gaster Mugoya Kyawa, the
Select Committee Chairperson, called for calm and assured the affected residents
that his committee will take up the matter.
//cue in: ”In waaki
that…
Cue out:…these illegal
evictions.:”//.
He warned security
personnel in the district against conniving with land grabbers to illegally
evict people from their ancestral land.
//cue in: “Don’t worry
and …
Cue out:…you just
stop.:”//.
Kaahwa hasn’t yet
commented on the accusations by the residents as he couldn’t be reached by the
time of filing this story.
The Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga
constituted the Select Committee on March 6th, 2019 after the Ora County Member of
parliament, Lawrence Biyika Songa complained about the brutal and forceful
eviction of residents by security operatives in Hoima district on February 21,
2019.
The committee is
operating under six terms of reference including studying all claims of
ownership on the disputed land, investigating allegations relating to identity
and status of persons evicted, examining the involvement and conduct of
security officers in the eviction of families.
The committee is
expected to complete work in 45 days and report back to Parliament. The
other committee members are Budaka Woman MP, Pamela Kamoga Naiso, Makindye East
MP, Ibrahim Kasozi Biribawa, Bududa Woman MP, Justine Khainza, UPDF Representative,
Brig. Flavia Byekwaso, Oyam Woman MP, Santa Alum, and Busiki County MP, Paul
Akamba.
