Kapelebyong families warn of surging land grabs as Muntu promises reform

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Residents of Kapelebyong district have raised alarm over a surge in land grabbing that has left dozens of families homeless and threatened the Teso sub-region’s fragile agricultural base, with fears of food insecurity looming.

The public outcry culminated in a campaign meeting held under mango trees on November 15, 2025, at Acowa town council, where Maj. Gen. (rtd) Mugisha Muntu, the Alliance for National Transformation presidential candidate, pledged to champion property-rights protection and fast-track reforms if elected.

John Micheal Olupot, a resident of the area, said that in the past six months, Kapelebyong has registered more than 42 cases of illegal land seizures involving both local investors and politically connected individuals.

“When you come to power, we want you to establish a special land tribunal in Kapelebyong to expedite land-dispute cases,” Olupot told Muntu.

Olupot said armed men, allegedly backed by unknown government officials and wealthy individuals, have erected fences, cleared fields, and even forged title deeds on parcels ranging from 5 to 200 acres.

“The most affected sub-counties are Ochero, Amin, and Kapelebyong town council, where over 3,000 households now fear eviction,” Olupot said.

Sakib Agiro, aged 53, recounted how a group of men arrived at his farm on 12 October with a title deed that was later proven fraudulent. “They told me I had sold my land to a sugarcane company. I never signed any papers. My children are now sleeping under a tree,” he said.

Agiro warned that without urgent intervention, the situation could escalate into violence. He said, “We have seen soldiers and the police deployed near contested farms, intimidating locals.”

Muntu, who was on a poverty-eradication campaign in Kapelebyong, said the land grabbing being witnessed is a symptom of a broken system.

“Land is life for our people. The grabbing we see today is a symptom of a broken system, weak laws, corrupt officials, and a lack of political will,” Muntu said.

He pledged to revive the cooperative bank to provide affordable credit to smallholder farmers, and to push for a constitutional amendment that criminalises land grabbing with severe penalties.

“Those who are in crop husbandry, animal husbandry, fisheries and in small-scale farming shall be uplifted through agricultural programme empowerment to fight poverty in the sub-region.”

Muntu’s five-point agenda includes strengthening community land registration and protecting customary tenure as core priorities.

“If we secure our land rights, we secure our future,” he said.

The Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development is also under pressure to recover public land that has been grabbed, with several people having constructed buildings, established farms, and fenced plots for personal use.

“We believe that property rights should not be somebody’s worry because nobody has the right to evict people from the land that belongs to them, and we shall, as ANT, address such a challenge when we come to power,” Muntu said.

He added that he had personally spent seven years in court fighting off an attempted eviction by a wealthy individual between Lyantonde and Mbarara districts.

“I have been transporting witnesses in court, but I have sustained it painfully, and this cannot be done by anybody who is poor. I have friends in the army who would have helped me, but I decided to follow the law until the courts of law determined my case in my favour three months ago,” Muntu said.

“I am assuring you that I shall fight land grabbing in this country because I have been a victim of impunity and manipulation myself for the last seven years, but I will handle the crisis,” Muntu said.

Poor roads irk residents

Martin Okiror, a resident of Acowa town council, said the district continues to suffer from poor roads despite repeated appeals to government.

“We do not have any tarmac in our district. The road through our district from Amuria district to Katakwi district needs tarmac. We hope that Gen. Muntu is here, we shall get tarmac,” Okiror said jokingly.

The road network becomes impassable during the rainy season, affecting the marketing and transportation of agricultural produce.

“When Ajeleik River floods during the rainy season, it bursts its banks and all other feeder roads near it get affected,” Okiror added.