Luuka authorities restore widow's land after court victory
District leaders, led by district police commander SP Diana Namutunzi, officially handed back the two-acre piece of land and the sugar cane plantation to Neikesa at her home in Nabinyonyi village, Bukanga sub-county, following a court ruling.
Doreen Nandera, a legal officer with Redeem International, said the organisation jointly prosecuted the case with the state attorney before the Iganga Magistrate's Court. She said the accused were charged with intermeddling with the deceased's estate.
LUUKA - Luuka district authorities have condemned the persistent grabbing of widows' property after restoring land and a sugar cane plantation to Monica Neikesa, a widow whose late husband's relatives forcefully took over her property following his death in 2024.
District leaders, led by district police commander SP Diana Namutunzi, officially handed back the two-acre piece of land and the sugar cane plantation to Neikesa at her home in Nabinyonyi village, Bukanga sub-county, following a court ruling.
The handover was witnessed by local leaders and residents, who celebrated the outcome.
Neikesa's two-acre piece of land, together with its sugar cane plantation, had been forcefully seized by relatives of her late husband, James Batyamye, despite earlier interventions by local authorities.
According to Neikesa, she and her husband had peacefully occupied and cultivated the land before his death. The sugar cane plantation was their family's only source of income, supporting school fees and other household needs.
However, immediately after her husband's death, she said clan leaders, the deceased's brothers and the sons of her co-wife turned against her, ordering her to vacate the land while threatening her life.
Neikesa said her stepsons, Peter and Ben, later took over the land through violence. She accused them of uprooting her trees and destroying crops, including coffee and maize, by spraying them with chemicals.
She further alleged that her brother-in-law, Julius Isiko, demanded that she leave the family home and mobilised residents to attack her after she insisted on remaining on the land.
The mother of seven said she sought help from local leaders and the police, who repeatedly engaged the family and urged them to stop harassing her, but their efforts yielded no results, prompting her to seek legal redress.
Luuka district community liaison officer Kenneth Gubi and district probation officer Abed Mwagale said they made several attempts to mediate the dispute, reminding the family that Neikesa had a legal right to the property.
The handover was witnessed by local leaders and residents, who celebrated the outcome. Neikesa's two-acre piece of land, together with its sugar cane plantation, had been forcefully seized by relatives of her late husband, James Batyamye, despite earlier interventions by local authorities. (Credit: Ivan Wakibi)
Mwagale said the case particularly concerned him because one of Neikesa's children was about to complete a course while others were still in school, yet the land and sugar cane plantation were the family's only source of income.
He said they later worked with activists to pursue the matter in court.
She said the accused were charged with intermeddling with the deceased's estate.
According to Nandera, the accused later admitted their wrongdoing before Grade One Magistrate Ali Tibenkana and sought reconciliation, after which the court ordered that the property be returned to Neikesa.
While handing over the property, Namutunzi condemned clan leaders, heirs and relatives who grab property belonging to widows and orphans and urged victims to report such cases to the authorities.
She also directed police officers to stop demanding bribes from complainants seeking justice and warned civil servants managing Parish Development Model funds against engaging in corruption, saying offenders risk arrest and prosecution in line with President Museveni's commitment to fighting corruption during his current term.
Namutunzi later presented Neikesa with a gift in recognition of her courage and perseverance throughout the case.
District vice chairperson Dick Mwagale, Bukanga subcounty chairperson George Kwageri and LC1 chairperson Moses Mberwa, who witnessed the handover, praised the authorities for their timely intervention.
Peterson Balikowa, representing activists, pledged continued collaboration with authorities to help other vulnerable victims obtain justice.