At least 220 goats were reportedly slaughtered and 43 head of cattle stolen during a violent attack linked to a long-running land dispute in Nakasongola District. The incident occurred on Monday at a farm owned by Ronald Wasswa in Kiwambya Village, Kalongo Sub-county.
According to Wasswa, a group of men armed with pangas raided the farm and assaulted him in an attempt to force him to reveal his whereabouts. He alleges that the assailants then attacked the livestock, killing 220 goats on the spot before driving away with 43 cows. He further claims that the attackers killed 20 ducks, 80 chicken and 30 geese, and vandalised a water pump valued at approximately Shs8 million.
Wasswa believes the attack was intended to force him off the disputed land, which measures about two square miles. He says he inherited the property from his late grandfather, Eria Balikomyewo Byemalo, but a former tenant, Falasiko Kalibwamu, fraudulently obtained a land title and sold the land to one Kafeero Majembere.
Ownership of the land is currently being contested before the Nakasongola Magistrate’s Court, where Wasswa and other claimants have challenged the transaction.
Wasswa said he reported the incident to Nakasongola Central Police Station and called for the arrest of Majembere and other individuals he believes were involved in the attack. When contacted for comment, Majembere declined to respond to the allegations.
Nakasongola Resident District Commissioner Festus Bandeeba and Savannah Regional Police spokesperson Sam Twiineamazima confirmed that the incident had been reported and that investigations are underway.
Bandeeba also announced that a district security crisis meeting had been convened on Tuesday afternoon at the Nakasongola District headquarters to assess the situation and prevent further violence. By the time of publication, no arrests had been made. Nakasongola District has experienced persistent land-related conflicts for several years.
Local authorities say the Resident District Commissioner’s office receives numerous complaints each week from residents seeking intervention to stop disputed land evictions.In 2024, Dan Ssebyala, a resident of Ndaiga Village in Lwabyata Sub-county, was murdered in a separate land dispute involving the late Jonathan Mafende.
Ssebyala was hacked to death by unknown assailants three days after publicly displaying spent cartridges that he alleged had been fired by armed security guards hired by Mafende during an earlier attack on his home.
Mafende had reportedly acquired a land title in 2018, claiming ownership of approximately two square miles of land, part of which hosts a government school, a health centre and 206 households, including Ssebyala’s home.Residents accused Mafende of fencing off sections of the disputed land and repeatedly attempting to evict occupants before his death. URN