How Mediation Helped Widow Regain Rights Over Customary Land in Amuru

For the last four years, Pirina Akwero ,55, had no access to her late husband’s land in Labongo village, Pagak Parish, Amuru sub-county in Amuru district after she was violently stopped from utilizing the land by a nephew. Akwero had long yearned to use part of the 28-acre piece of the disputed customary land which belonged to her late husband for farming to take care of her eight orphans. 

Akwero’s husband died 15 years ago. However, shortly after his death, a nephew identified as Charles Odoki who had been allocated part of the land by the deceased stopped Akwero and her children from using it claiming it was his land.

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According to Akwero, the constant threats she received from Odoki forced her to abandon the land for her safety. She said over the past years; she had been hiring land from other people for farming out of which the proceeds she used for paying her children’s school fees.

Akwero however noted that Odoki rejected all mediation efforts instituted by the clan leaders of Pacunge, Payugu, and Pagak and instead chose the matter to be addressed by political leaders at the Sub-county.

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After countless attempts to have the land dispute resolved internally, clan elders decided to report the matter to the Police at Amuru Sub-County Police Post. The police later contacted Redeem International, a non-governmental organization protecting widows and orphans from violent abuses and exploitation.

Through the organization’s intervention, a mediation effort conducted by police, clan elders and sub-county leaders was initiated between the widow and Odoki after the later opted for an out of court negotiation.

Kagwa Olum, a local leader in the village acknowledged to Uganda Radio Network that the customary land rightly belonged to the widow since it was for the late husband.

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Charles Kinyera, the Chairperson of Pacunge Clan who chaired the mediation noted that the two parties came to a common understanding after series of meetings and resolved to bury their differences. Through the mediation, clan elders also resolved to divide the land in dispute and handed 16 acres to Akwero and her children while Odoki remained with 12 acres of land.

On Friday last week, the boundary of the land was officially demarcated where mark stones were planted on the 16 acres’ piece of land in an exercise witnessed by area local leaders, clan elders, the police and officials from Redeem International.

Akwero who couldn’t hide her joy during the boundary opening exercise noted that she will now use the land for farming to support her family.

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Akwero is among dozens of widows in Amuru and Gulu districts affected by unfair land eviction or harassment over land usage who have regained rights over customary land following mediation efforts championed by Redeem International and local leaders in the last four years.

Michael Tokwaro, the Chairperson of Area Land Committee Amuru Sub-county noted that with cases of land disputes still being registered in the area, they are emphasizing mediation as an alternative way of resolving land wrangles. Tokwaro says they realized that through mediation, healthy relationships are restored among the conflicting parties which helps in building social cohesion in the community unlike outcomes of court cases.

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According to Tokwaro, averagely, Amuru sub-county registers between two to three land dispute cases in a week which are mostly being resolved through mediation.

Patience Aber, the Community Liaison Officer at Redeem International Gulu Field Office told Uganda Radio Network that through their intervention, they have mapped out the coordinates of the widow’s 16 acres land which shall be fed to the district land database. She notes that securing the coordinates will help to protect the land from any future attempts to deprive her or the children of the land.

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Aber disclosed that over the last four years, they have resolved a total of 23 civil matters, majority through mediation at sub county, while others through court ordered mediation and trials in courts. 

Through the intervention, a total of 445.1 acres of lands have been secured in Gulu and Amuru districts where the organization is serving up to 1,553 clients who include orphans and widows.

Land ownership in the Acholi Sub-region is mostly customary land tenure system in which control over land is majorly dominated by male clan heads with women having significantly limited land rights.