Lira residents refuse to vacate forest reserve

Aug 26, 2008

A meeting organised by the parliamentary committee on national resources to discuss re-settlement in Teilwa Central Forest Reserve turned rowdy when residents refused to vacate the 1.31 square mile land.

By Patrick Okino

A meeting organised by the parliamentary committee on national resources to discuss re-settlement in Teilwa Central Forest Reserve turned rowdy when residents refused to vacate the 1.31 square mile land.

The area gazetted by the colonial government in 1948 is located in Lira sub-county, Lira district.

The committee, headed by the Rukungiri Woman MP, Winnie Masiko, was on Friday meeting the National Forestry Authority (NFA) and the area residents at Olaka Primary School following their petition to Parliament.

About 2,000 residents petitioned Parliament last year, after the National Forestry Authority started surveying the land with a plan to get tree growers to re-plant the area.

Geoffrey Acaye, the coordinator of the forest authority, said the district leaders were consulted before the forest was re-surveyed.

While Acaye explained the history of the conflict, an old man shot up and wanted to beat an NFA staff member seated next to him. He said the woman pretended to know a lot about the land in question.

“Tell this lady to get away, if not, I will box her on the head,” he threatened. The local leaders shifted the lady and sat her among MPs for safety.

Eresania Oyuku, a resident of Ayere village, said they would not vacate the reserve because there was no vacant land for them to go to.

“Forest reserve and human beings, which one is important?” he asked, adding that their ancestors were buried there and they had lived on the land for over 30 years.

Eight villages, Anyalo, Ayere, Ongica ‘A’, Ongica ‘B’, Anai Opio Onyoro, Anai Ober, Anai Agali and Apelo, with a total of 285 households risk eviction.

Olaka Primary School, a dairy farm, community roads and 14 protected water sources are also in the reserve.

The district forest officer, Charles Ogwang, said the residents were authorised to cultivate the land in 1992 and nobody had claimed ownership until the period between 2000 and 2006 when the LRA forced them into camps.

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