Bunyoro rejects proposal to give land to Kinyara

Sep 06, 2011

BUNYORO Kingdom has rejected a request by the Government to give land in Masindi district to Kinyara Sugar Works.

By Pascal Kwesiga, J. Baguma and R. Atuhairwe

BUNYORO Kingdom has rejected a request by the Government to give land in Masindi district to Kinyara Sugar Works.

The land was reportedly to increase sugar production in the country.

The kingdom prime minister, Eng. Yabezi Kiiza, said Bunyoro would not give Kinyara the 900 hectare piece of land.

He was speaking during a meeting between the Omukama, Solomon Iguru, and MPs from Bunyoro at Karuzika palace in Hoima on Friday.

This comes weeks after trade and industry minister Amelia Kyambadde asked the Omukama to offer the land where Isimba Prison sits to Kinyara.

Kyambadde visited the Bunyoro palace in Hoima recently.

“The land belongs to us. It has been under the kingdom since the reign of Omukama Sir. Tiito Winyi, the father of our current king,” Kiiza said.

Kiiza said the kingdom would rather give land to the youth to grow sugar cane and sell it to Kinyara.
“The work of the factory is to produce sugar. I don’t think they need land. They should produce sugar and we should produce sugar cane,” Kiiza said.

Minister for Presidency Kabakumba Masiko said the Government’s position was that it owned the land.

Her statement, however, prompted Bugangaizi West MP Dr. Kasirivu Atwooki to explain that even the land on which Kinyara factory sits belongs to the kingdom.

“The ownership of that land needs to be clarified,” he said.

Masindi district chairman Wilson Isingoma said they would fight the move to give away the land to the sugar factory.

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