Masaka families cry out against eviction
Feb 29, 2008
OVER 30 families occupying the West Buganda Diocese land at Kako in Masaka district have appealed to the church not to evict them. The families that settled on the land near the cathedral between 1960 and 1980 sent their plea to the Bishop, Dr. Keefa Kamya.
By Dismus Buregyeya
OVER 30 families occupying the West Buganda Diocese land at Kako in Masaka district have appealed to the church not to evict them. The families that settled on the land near the cathedral between 1960 and 1980 sent their plea to the Bishop, Dr. Keefa Kamya.
“We have married, built houses and developed plantations on this land. Some of us have even buried our people here and now the Church wants us to go away. This is unfair,†said Christopher Muhanga from Kyondo village in Mukungwe sub-county.
He noted that most of the people came from Rwanda, Burundi and the western region as porters and refugees.
In an interview on Tuesday, the Diocesan information secretary, the Rev. Enock Muwanguzi, noted that the residents had breached an agreement with the Church.
He said they had warned the residents against extending the land boundaries initially allocated to them for temporary settlement.
“These people are stubborn. We helped them but they have now turned into a menace by expanding the plots allocated to them yet they do not have land titles or any legal documents to claim ownership.â€
The diocese, Muwanguzi added, had finalised plans to establish a farm and other projects on the land for income generation to sustain the Church “but efforts to relocate them (families) have turned into a hurdle.â€
He, however, explained that they would not throw out the families but wanted to make adjustments to create space for new projects.
OVER 30 families occupying the West Buganda Diocese land at Kako in Masaka district have appealed to the church not to evict them. The families that settled on the land near the cathedral between 1960 and 1980 sent their plea to the Bishop, Dr. Keefa Kamya.
“We have married, built houses and developed plantations on this land. Some of us have even buried our people here and now the Church wants us to go away. This is unfair,†said Christopher Muhanga from Kyondo village in Mukungwe sub-county.
He noted that most of the people came from Rwanda, Burundi and the western region as porters and refugees.
In an interview on Tuesday, the Diocesan information secretary, the Rev. Enock Muwanguzi, noted that the residents had breached an agreement with the Church.
He said they had warned the residents against extending the land boundaries initially allocated to them for temporary settlement.
“These people are stubborn. We helped them but they have now turned into a menace by expanding the plots allocated to them yet they do not have land titles or any legal documents to claim ownership.â€
The diocese, Muwanguzi added, had finalised plans to establish a farm and other projects on the land for income generation to sustain the Church “but efforts to relocate them (families) have turned into a hurdle.â€
He, however, explained that they would not throw out the families but wanted to make adjustments to create space for new projects.