Hoima Sugar land saga: Farmers call for leaders' intervention

Farmers with gardens on alleged Hoima Sugar Ltd's land in Nyairong village, Kaseeta parish in Kabwoya sub-county, Kikuube district have petitioned Kikuube district leaders over their being stopped from harvesting their crops.

The farmers accuse security officials guarding the land of blocking them from harvesting their crops, a move they are protesting.

The protests of the farmers have left Nyairongo village LC1 chairperson Desire Nkuluzinza, 35, arrested for allegedly mobilising farmers to go and harvest their crops in the land forcefully.

Part of the land where farmers grew maize.

Nkuluzinza's arrest followed several complaints from farmers who claimed that they had been denied a chance to harvest the crops which they planted in the area.

Over 200 farmers are said to have planted crops, including maize, beans and sorghum on 4,370 acres said to be part of Hoima Sugar land. 

According to the farmers, they paid the managers of the land money and allowed them to plant their crops. The farmers wonder why they are being denied a chance to harvest their crops.

Rodger Natima, one of the farmers, said he planted 10 acres of maize after paying money to managers of the land whose names have been withheld. 

He says that his family is going hungry when they have mature maize, which can act as a source of food.

Olva Vatuma said that managers of the land are conniving with other people to harvest their crops adding they were allowed to grow crops in the land after paying the money.

She said that they have several times petitioned the Kikuube district leaders including the office of the district chairperson to intervene in the matter in vain.

Vatuma added that they have been left with no other option but to invade the area and harvest their crops, if the district continues to keep a deaf ear.

She added that the family neither has food for their families nor money to pay fees for their children yet they would harvest and get money and food.

Suraiman Kibenje, another farmer, said it was unfair to deny them to harvest their crops yet they allowed them to plant.

Tricky case

Kikuube district chairperson Peter Banura confirmed that the farmers reached his office over the matter and said that their issue is tricky since they moved in and started using it without the knowledge of Hoima Sugar management.

According to him, the farmers were warned against planting crops on Hoima Sugar land, but they failed to adhere to the warning.

However, he said that the district security committee on Monday had a meeting and agreed to have an engagement with the management of Hoima Sugar to see how to address the concerns of the farmers.

The 22.4 square miles were offered to Hoima Sugar by Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom in 2017 on a lease of 99 years to grow sugarcane.

However, some residents claim that Hoima Sugar is taking part of their land since no one knows the Boundary of this kingdom land and they have been demanding for Boundary opening to where Hoima Sugar land starts and ends in vain.

Land not ours

Hoima Sugar public relation officer Israel Odiit denied the claims and said the land where the farmers are conflicting is not part of the land the company was allocated to plant sugarcane.

He noted that the land where the farmers planted crops is a green zone, which is not under their management.