Govt pays 6,000 Moroto residents sh47.5b for Tororo Cement land lease

MOROTO - The Government has compensated over 6,000 landowners in Moroto district in an effort to secure a 49-year lease for Tororo Cement Industries.

The piece of land that measures 9,500 acres is located in Tapac sub-county on the Moroto-Kitale highway, some 40km towards the Uganda-Kenya border.

However, this chunk of land excludes the current area [500 acres] where Tororo Cement is currently mining limestone in the neighbouring location.

According to the Catholic Peace and Justice Land Desk, the initiative is part of the significant efforts to resolve land acquisition challenges in the country. The co-ordinator of the land desk at the Moroto Diocese, Paska Kerisa, when contacted, acknowledged the payoff of shillings 47.5 billion to the landowners.

“Government trusted us,” she noted, adding that the compensation has been successfully implemented.

Kerisa added that the funds disbursed to the landowners originate from the government of Uganda, through the lands ministry, adding that the latter is in co-ordination with Moroto Diocese and a local community trust identified as Naitah-Tepeth. However, she says the money was requested by the Uganda Investment Authority.

“It will be remembered that the land desk has been supporting the process to ensure the community demand for their land surface rights from the cement giant,” Kerisa noted, adding that with the combined efforts, it yielded in the signing of a 49-year lease agreement on May 02, 2025.

“We have been able to pay a total of 6,500 direct landowners, some receiving between shillings four million and 50 million, depending on how big the families,” Kerisa said, adding that we also paid a number of indirect beneficiaries who are either relatives or friends shillings two million each.

She further said the lease is for 9,500 acres that also accommodates the clinker factory under construction, excluding the almost 15 square miles acquired in the early 2000s.

Invest the money

To the beneficiaries, Kerisa asks them to utilise the money sparingly, adding that this is a singular price that has to be thought of for five decades later.

“So let’s build, invest the money into cash-generating activities,” she noted, reminding the parents also to invest in education.

Kerisa advised the community to embrace the employment opportunities offered by Tororo Cement, adding that the company should also respect the land owners. (Credit: Olandason Wanyama)

Kerisa advised the community to embrace the employment opportunities offered by Tororo Cement, adding that the company should also respect the land owners.

The chairperson, Naitah-Tepeth Elia Lomiat, said there was no reason to deny Tororo Cement an area for mining limestone since the minerals belong to the Government.

He said the Tepeth are a minority group who reside on the slopes of Mt Moroto and have lived in the area for centuries.

"We are saying we have been left behind for decades,” Lomiat said, adding that let's have investment in the area to uplift the lives of people.

He acknowledged the community having been paid shillings 25 billion over the period when the lease agreement was signed, adding that the balance will now support the establishment of community projects.

Lomiat said the trust had identified the construction of an office for the trust and had an education fund to help push the disadvantaged children.

Others include buying heavy-duty trucks for the transportation of cement material and construction of a magnificent fuel station at Tapac trading centre, among other investments for the local community.

“We are only waiting for the community development binding agreement,” Lomiat noted, adding that this will be signed by the government, the trust through the Uganda Investment Authority.

He congratulated the government of Uganda for paying up the community land surface rights, saying most people saw such money for the first time.

LC3 speaks

The sub-county chairperson, Tapac Joseph Pulkol, advises the community to seek places to relocate to avoid forceful eviction.

“We have been paid to move away from the mining area,” he noted, adding that the community members should seek alternate places to open up gardens.

Pulkol appreciated the government for fulfilling its promises to pay for the surface rights of the community.

Ownership of land in the Karamoja sub-region remains a key challenge, as the potential resource is communally held by the locals.