Residents of Kabukero Village Protest Over Land Conflict

Residents of Kabukero village in Karusandara Sub-county, Kasese District, have stormed the office of the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) in Kasese, seeking government intervention to resolve a decade-long land conflict. The group, mainly consisting of cultivators, accuses the government of neglecting their needs and failing to take action on the ongoing dispute. 

Tensions have been escalating due to a boundary dispute between the Bakhonzo and Basongora communities. The two communities are at odds over ownership of a portion of 1,100 acres of land that were carved out of Mubuku Prison in 2017. The land was intended to resettle Basongora pastoralists and later a section of dispossessed Bakonzo. 

The farmers have previously accused the office of the RDC of exacerbating the land wrangles by siding with the pastoralists, a claim that office bearers deny. The protesters, carrying placards with messages like "We want Justice," "Government help the poor cultivators," and "Government of Uganda, have in mind the cultivators in Kasese District," argue that they have been exploited by the pastoralists in the area. 

Herizon Muthende, the Youth Chairperson for Kabukero village, stated that the community has been fighting over the same land since 2007, with the government only offering empty promises to resolve the issue. “We have been here before to present our issues to the office of the RDC. Pastoralists are now letting their animals into our gardens, but every time we report, we don’t get a response,” Muthende said. 

Zeres Biira, another farmer, told the media that the government had sent a team of surveyors who worked with local private surveyors to demarcate the land. However, the farmers have since been denied access to the land. John Bahebwa, the Chairperson for the cultivators in the area, explained that whenever they try to utilize their demarcated land, the pastoralists interfere, preventing them from working on it. 

Kabukero Local Council I Chairperson, Zalia Njiima, revealed that the ongoing conflicts have made it difficult for the community to concentrate on development. The fear of being attacked by the pastoralists has hindered their progress. Kasese RDC, Lt. Joe Walusimbi, has called for calm among the cultivators, noting that President Museveni has already instituted a committee to handle the matter.