Disputed Namitala demarcation ends in February

 By Daniel Edyegu

GOVERNMENT has allowed farmers in the disputed Namatala wetland, located along the Mbale-Budaka border, to harvest their rice before the process of surveying and subsequent demarcation of the border begins.

This follows a string of consultative meetings held on Friday between the lands state minister, Sarah Achieng, local government state minister, Alex Onzima, and the residents of Bunghoko and Bukasakya sub-counties in Mbale.

The ministers, accompanied by local leaders, police officers and elders from both districts, also met residents of Mugiti and Kamonkoli sub-counties in Budaka district.

Danston Kabera, 78, a resident of Kamonkoli sub-county said despite having several plots of rice ready for harvest in the wetland, the police had barred people from accessing the wetland. However, Kabera said thieves suspected to be Bagisu from Mbale frequently sneak into the wetland to harvest other people’s rice.

“That wetland is our main source of survival from which we earn money to fend for our families and pay fees for our children. Much as I support the need to demarcate the border between the two districts, we should be allowed to get our rice from the wetland,” Kabeera argued.

A view of part of the disputed Namitala wetland along the Mbale-Budaka border. PHOTO by Daniel Edyegu

On November 18, the protracted dispute over Namatala wetland between the Bagwere in Budaka and Bagisu in Mbale culminated into the hacking to death of three more rice farmers from Budaka.

Consequently, the police deployed in the wetland and barred people from accessing the area.

The MP Iki-Iki in Budaka Dr. Jeremiah Twa- Twa has said the last survey of the disputed wetland that ended prematurely in July last year,as residents of Budaka attacked surveyors accusing them of bias, was held at the wrong time.

“How do you hold a survey in the run-up to the political campaigns and elections? Of course politicians will want to gain capital out of the whole thing and misrepresent facts to the electorate,” Twa-Twa said.

The lands state minister Achieng told the politicians to stay out of the wetland during the survey and demarcation process. She also urged leaders on either side to educate their communities on the relevance of the boundary to avoid creating more friction.

“The survey will start in January and end the following month. The police must also move in to arrest and prosecute perpetrators of the killings,” Achieng explained.

“There have been numerous complaints that all the assailants, including those who committed the latest killings last month are still at large.”

Jacob Opolot, the Mbale district police commander said the culprits were still at large because police lacked relevant clues.

“Now that we have got a tape containing details of the identities of the suspects, we are working tooth- and-nail to bring them to book,” Opolot said.