Man resorts to sleeping in car after land feud

By Norman Katende

MBUYA - A man has been has been left stranded and consequently taken to sleeping in his vehicle, he says, after his house was knocked down in a land wrangle.

Joseph Konyen’s flat along Ismail road in Mbuya has been centre of land wrangles involving officials claiming to be from State House.

But State House has distanced itself from the December 28 demolition.

A distraught Konyen, who had to travel from Moroto upon receiving news that his house was being knocked down, said there exists a standing court order “which gives us ownership” of the said house.

“This is so sad. Why should someone choose to demolish a house with the aid of the Police? … we have reliable information that someone in the top police is behind all this,” said the frustrated man.

The structure sitting on the contentious land had sections of its walls knocked down and most of the windows smashed.  Part of the titled roof was also destroyed.

Had residents of the area not intervened, the whole two-storeyed structure would have been flattened.

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Konyen says he has had to renovate his house four times before after similar incidents. PHOTO/Norman Katende

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He now has to take care of his two children (foreground) after his wife left. PHOTO/Norman Katende

The troubled owner said most of the furniture and several documents were looted.

At the time of the demolition, his was the only one of seven flats still standing, with the other six having been brought down before under unclear circumstances.

Konyen believed whoever was behind the act was looking for documents about the land.

 “They wanted the documents about the land but they are not in the house and that is the lucky thing I have got,” he said.

He is now left to take care of their two children after his wife “left” following the demolition.

A case of number SD/11/29/12/2013 has been filed at Bugolobi Police over malicious damage and theft.

Witnesses of the demolition said they saw the people who had knocked down the house, and names have been reported, but no-one has so far been summoned for interrogation.

“It is a worst start for the year. Someone who had a house being forced to stay in such a building,” said Konyen, who has had to renovate his house four times before after it had been ravaged by officials under police escort.

Seven people including Konyen bought property which had not been claimed by the departed Asians after a government valuer put the price at sh1.6bn.