Residents of Hoima District have asked the newly sworn-in Members of the District Council to prioritise land protection during their new term of office. According to residents, land-grabbing cases have persisted in the district and across the Bunyoro sub-region for years, leaving many people in fear of eviction from their ancestral land.
They say the Council’s top priority should be finding a lasting solution to the land question and urged leaders to speak with one voice in addressing the crisis.
Jonathan Mukasa, a resident of Kasenyi-Lyato in Buseruka Sub-county, says many ‘tycoons’ have invaded the area with fraudulently acquired land titles that are being used to threaten and evict residents who have occupied the land for decades. Mukasa wants the newly constituted district council to investigate the questionable land titles in different parts of the district and ensure that illegally acquired titles are cancelled.
Christine Akugizibwe, a resident of Bombo Sub-county, says Hoima District should be granted affirmative action following the discovery of oil and gas resources, which she says has instead intensified land disputes. Akugizibwe explains that many land titles in the district were fraudulently acquired, leaving locals at risk of losing their ancestral land. Edward Okello, a resident of Buseruka, says the increasing cases of land grabbing and evictions targeting vulnerable communities are alarming.
He appealed to the district council to engage the government to provide residents with free land titles to help protect them from land grabbers. Julius Kanyindo, another resident, says the discovery of oil and gas in the Albertine Graben has attracted investors and land speculators into the district, with some threatening to evict residents from their land. Kanyindo notes that many residents are too poor to afford land title processing and wants district leaders to lobby the government for special affirmative action for Hoima residents.
Rose Atuhaire, a resident of Kitoba Sub-county, says the government should issue free land titles to residents to shield them from land grabbers, noting that communities in the region have suffered enough. Sam Ochaya, another resident, says many families in Hoima are facing possible eviction from ancestral land they have occupied for generations.
Richard Okumu appealed to the newly elected district leaders to thoroughly investigate how some influential individuals acquired land titles that are now being used to evict residents. Members of the Hoima District Council were sworn in on Wednesday to begin their new term of office. During the ceremony, Uthman Mubarak Mugisa took the oath as the LCV Chairperson and later appointed Fridah Kabagahya as Vice Chairperson.
Jackson Mulindambura was elected Speaker of the District Council, deputised by Generas Atugonza.Hillary Tumusiime was appointed Secretary for Works, Production and Natural Resources. Hellen Mulumba was named Secretary for Finance, Planning and Administration, while Felix Ongirwoth was appointed Secretary for Education and Health.
Land evictions and grabbing continue to pose a major challenge in Hoima District following the discovery of oil and gas resources in the Albertine Graben. Hundreds of families remain under threat of eviction, particularly in the sub-counties of Kapaapi, Bombo, Kyabigambire, Buseruka, Kabaale and Buraru, among others. URN