Over 3,500 Protest Eviction from Aler Community Farm

More than 3500 people occupying Aler community farm in Lira district are protesting their proposed eviction. Aler community farm, which is found in Tedam village in Ngetta Sub County, measures 304 acres of land.

The farm is used by people from over 26 villages in Lira and Kole districts. Lira district has given the occupants an ultimatum to vacate Aler community farm land by July 30th or else be forced out to pave way for redevelopment.

Alex Oremo, the Lira LC V chairperson says the district council passed a resolution in 2013 to allocate 200 acres of the land to Uganda Investment Authority for the establishment of an industrial park.

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However, Lira district cancelled the resolution after Uganda Investment Authority-UIA failed to pay Shillings 3 billion as compensation for the land. The proposed eviction has drawn angry responses from the occupants of the farm land.

56-year-old Tom Ogwal Amononeno says he was born and raised on Aler Community farm land. According to Ogwal, once he is evicted he and members of his family will have nowhere to live, adding that they will have no option but to sue the district. 

86-Bulacio Awio insists the land belong to them. He asks the district to first resettle them before it moves to evict them.  But Moses Dalili, the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Lira district, says the contested land belongs to the district. He says the district first formally assumed ownership of the land in 1980 under leasehold and converted it to freehold in 2013.

Catholic missionaries first established a Community Agricultural Training Center on the land in 1953. They handed the Training Center to 1956.