Land dispute turns violent as Nakaseke residents confront broker, buyer

A land buyer and broker narrowly survived being lynched by angry residents of Bukoto-Luteete village in Nakaseke after they were accused of orchestrating the imprisonment of a fellow villager and attempting to sell off his ancestral land.

The dramatic incident unfolded over the weekend in Kikamulo Sub-county, where residents rose up to protest the detention of their colleague, 60-year-old John Mubiru, who has been on remand at Kapeeka Government Prison for the last three months over a land dispute.

At the centre of the dispute is a 14-acre kibanja, which Mubiru and his family members say has been their home for the past 60 years.

According to family accounts, Mubiru was born and raised on the same piece of kibanja by his late father, Lawrence Suuka, who passed away in 2019.

Residents say trouble started about three months ago when Mubiru was picked up from his home by police and charged with criminal trespass on the kibanja he has occupied for six decades.

He was arraigned before court and subsequently remanded to Kapeeka Prison, where he has spent three months without trial.

What angered the residents most is what happened immediately after Mubiru's arrest.

According to his wife, Moureen Nalukwago, who is now left to fend for the family, all the food crops that Mubiru had planted on the land were slashed and destroyed shortly after he was jailed.

"Not only did they slash our crops, they also blocked the community access road that connects our village to the neighbouring village," she said.

Feeling abandoned and suspecting a ploy to grab the land while its owner is in prison, the residents mobilised themselves to seek help from local leaders to expose what they described as a well-orchestrated land-grabbing scheme.

Their fears started when they found a surveyor in Mubiru's garden, surveying his kibanja.

The mob then turned their anger on the land broker identified as Nkaada Nkata.

Nkata, who is also a resident of the same village, was apprehended by the residents, who demanded to know why he was allowing such injustices to happen when he knew all the facts surrounding the land.

The residents roughed him up as they demanded answers. Nkata was saved by the timely intervention of the village Vice Chairperson, Joseph Katongole.

In his defence, Nkata claimed that a businessman identified as Belief Ngabiroki approached him, saying he had land for sale and asked him to look for potential buyers. He said he did not know why residents were accusing him of being part of a scheme to sell Mubiru's kibanja.

As the residents questioned Nkata, Ngabiroki appeared at the scene, prompting the angry crowd to immediately turn on him.

The residents also roughed Ngabiroki up, accusing him of disturbing their peace and planning to take over and sell Mubiru's kibanja while he is rotting in prison.

Mubiru's wife (Nalukwago) broke down as she narrated her family's ordeal.

"This is the land where my husband was born. This is where we have raised all our children. My husband has been here for 60 years. We are surprised that these people are claiming our land and we are being tortured for what belongs to us," she said.

She revealed that since her father-in-law, the late Suuka, died in 2019, the family has never known peace. She claimed that different family members and other interested parties have been slapped with various charges in a bid to intimidate them and force them off the land.

Florence Aduba, another resident of the area, called upon the government to intervene in Nakaseke land disputes. She accused some institutions, including courts, police and land committees, of being used by rich people to oppress ordinary citizens.

"The government should come to Nakaseke to save us. The land brokers, police and courts are being misused by the rich to make us suffer. We are tired of being tortured because some people want to grab our land," Aduba said.

The Vice Chairperson of the village, Katongole, said he was also shocked to learn that a resident was jailed and, the very next day, his crops were destroyed.

"It shows that they had a hidden motive," Katongole said.

Residents confront Nkaada, the land broker accused of instigating confusion over Mubiru's 14-acre kibanja in Bukoto-Luteete, Nakaseke. Photo by Wasswa B. Ssentongo

He appealed to the relevant authorities, including the district leadership, the Ministry of Lands and the Resident District Commissioner, to visit the area and resolve the matter once and for all.

Businessman defends himself

When contacted for a comment, Ngabiroki, the businessman accused of masterminding the grabbing of Mubiru's land, denied the allegations.

He claimed that he bought the land legally and that it had no bibanja on it. He said he has a land title to prove that the land belongs to him.

He argued that Mubiru was a trespasser who had encroached on his land, which is why he was arrested and charged.

"I bought this land when there was no kibanja occupant on it. I have a title showing this land is mine. Mubiru just trespassed on it; that is why he was arrested," Ngabiroki said.

However, residents insist that Mubiru's family has been on the land since before titles were introduced in the area and that his occupancy cannot be dismissed as mere trespass. The residents said they have documents and local council records to prove his long stay.

By press time, police in Nakaseke had not yet commented on the incident, but residents vowed not to allow any transaction to take place on Mubiru's land until he is released from prison and given a fair hearing.

They have now petitioned the office of the Resident District Commissioner and the district land board to intervene before the situation gets out of hand.