PAKWACH | LAND | GIRL CHILD 

PAKWACH - Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) has asked the people of Pokwero and Panyimur sub-counties in Pakwach district to give land to their daughters.

Despite the Land Act okaying ownership of land to both men and women, culturally the girls were denied land.

According to the human rights officer in West Nile region, Harriet Kajobe, parents should plan for their daughters in terms of land ownership.

“Do girls own land at their husbands' homeS, they don’t, Fathers-in-law don’t accept land giveaways to their daughters-in-inlaw, therefore, the girls should also equally get land like the boys,” she said.

She was speaking during dialogue to disseminate information about the rights and obligations coupled with the laws.

Pokwero and Panyimur sub-counties topple criminal cases in the district which include murder, defilement, theft among others.

Kajobe added that parents should start considering the girlchild as the heirs to the properties.

“In fact, there are scenarios when the children of the girls are chased away after she passes on when you give property to someone, do you take it back because someone is a woman, such acts should stop”, she said.

Alfred Okwai, a resident of Pokwero questioned whether boys should be apportioned more land than the girl child.

The LC3 Chairperson Pokwero sub county, Alex Okethwengu, said land giveaways were the cause of land conflicts in the area.

He mentioned that this has also led to witchcraft cases which eventually lead to death.

Culture and law

The elders were tasked with handling cultural issues in families like incest. 

The community liaison officer Pakwach district Dominic Openjuru asked those that continue paying for Police bond to stop.

“Police bond is free and whoever pays for it is disregarding the law,” he said.