By Isaac Nuwagaba                                                              

Residents of Kibanda Parish in Kamwezi Sub-county are accusing district bosses of land grabbing.
   

The wrangles stem from the manner in which 270 hectares of land was unfairly distributed among the locals under their association Rubandaga Community land Association.

The residents accuse the top leaders of the Community, David Kamugisha and Charles Karuma, the district sports officer, of grabbing the land.

They also accuse the leaders of selling most of the plots to foreigners.

Johnson Byaruhanga, one of the affected people says in 2007, the State prosecutor ordered that this land should be equally utilised by all the people in Kibanda which led them to form a group known as Kibanda Bahingi Barisa Association.


He also says chaos resumed in March 2011 when the top leaders of the Association formed their own group and started demanding sh56,000 from people before they are given plots.

Kamugisha however says the land was distributed equally according to the villages.

Byamugisha also says the aim of demanding money from the community members   was to get subscription fee for land titles.

The wrangles have seen the intervention of the deputy resident district commissioner Moses Mathew Elayo; LC5 chairperson Patrick Besigye Keihwa and the area MP, Jack Sabiiti.

Sabiiti has however blamed the Local Council courts, parish and sub county councillors for failing to settle the issues when they are the ones that understand the background.

He cautioned district leaders that if they do not resolve issues it will lead to the intervention of the Parliament as it did in Kibale district when Bakiga were chased.