Prince Mawanda speaks out on Mpigi land row

Apr 25, 2016

The President was forced to meet with Prince Mawanda briefly and agreed to have lengthy talks after the presidential elections

Prince Namugala Mawanda has refuted claims by residents of Bunjako parish, Buwama sub-county in Mpigi district that the police deployed to protect his land is harassing them.

Mawanda told New Vision that the claim by residents that were being evicted from the land in question was last done in 2013 by the environment police together with the National forestry Authority (NFA).

He said the affected residents were dully warned to vacate the land before forcefully evicting three years ago.

On Friday last week, the Lands Minister Daudi Migereko visited the area and cautioned the district police commander (DPC) Ahmed Seguya on how to handle the residents using minimum force if really they being harassed.

 hildren brought in by their parents to cultivate rince amugala awanda land in unjako parish uwama subcounty in pigi district awanda has refuted allegations that the police deployed to protect his land is harassing residents hoto by bou isige Children brought in by their parents to cultivate Prince Namugala Mawanda land in Bunjako parish, Buwama sub-county in Mpigi district. Mawanda has refuted allegations that the police deployed to protect his land is harassing residents. Photo by Abou Kisige

 

Seguya said those residents against police deployment on the land are just selfish because they want us to leave and they continue to degrade the natural forest.

"We shall not leave because it is our duty to protect forest reserves. Which food do residents want to harvest when they last planted in 2013 before eviction," Seguya said.  

Migereko's visit was prompted by a directive from President Yoweri Museveni to investigate the land matter following allegations of torture and continued evictions on the 3square mailo land.

Migereko was accompanied by the chairperson of the Uganda Land Commission Baguma Isoke, the commissioner in charge of land titles at the lands ministry Peter Nyombi and Mpigi resident district commissioner.

 


Migereko told New Vision that currently there were no evictions taking place on the land apart from police stopping residents from degrading the natural forest through illegal timber harvesting, charcoal burning and illegal settlements among others.

The natural forest neighbors NFA's Luwafu central forest reserve which according to NFA it's also being encroached on.
Background

When President Museveni was campaigning in Buwama Mpigi district during the just concluded presidential campaigns, a section of residents raised the matter.

The President was forced to meet with Prince Mawanda briefly and agreed to have lengthy talks after the presidential elections.

"I met the President during campaigns in Buwama but we simply agreed to schedule the meeting after elections to resolve the matter.

Now that I have not met with President yet, I request that the status-quo of Police protecting my land remains until we fully discuss with the President." Mawanda said.

  mugshot of rince amugala awanda e is currently in the nited tates of merica hoto by bou isige A mugshot of Prince Namugala Mawanda. He is currently in the United States of America. Photo by Abou Kisige

 

He said following continued forest degradation the Inspector General of Police was forced to deploy police to avoid future destruction of the forest.

Mawanda alleged that there is a section of politicians who are inciting residents to come back to the land for their selfish reasons in an effort to jeopardize the pending talks.

He further stressed the fact that he recognizes about 40-50 families who have been on the land for decades adding that an exercise was carried out to survey to provide them with land tittles unfortunately it has been halted until we meet with the president.

Prince Namugala inherited the land from his father, Prince George Mawanda. According to a sample assessment report by NFA done in 2011, human activities had degraded between 160-170 hectares of forest land in question

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});