Fifty Kasese district residents evicted
Dec 17, 2009
THE Police in Kasese district have evicted 50 people who had illegally occupied part of Mubuku irrigation scheme in Rukoki sub-county in Busongora county.
By Michael Karugaba
THE Police in Kasese district have evicted 50 people who had illegally occupied part of Mubuku irrigation scheme in Rukoki sub-county in Busongora county.
The acting district Police commander, Quinto Angeira, on Tuesday said the Rukoki Community Bataka group raided part of Mubuku irrigation scheme and started dividing it among themselves, saying it belonged to their ancestors.
The chairperson, Neckson Teramboko, said in a telephone interview that their ancestors occupied the land in 1935.
He said because of the Rwenzururu war between the Bakonzo, the Toro Kingdom and the Central Government in 1962, they had to leave the area.
He added that after they were displaced, the then Central Government used the opportunity to create an irrigation scheme that took part of their land.
Angeira, however, said most of the group members were from the Kidodo area, Railway village, Kasese town.
A group of over 1,000 people claimed to be landless after being displaced in 2007 when the Allied Democratic Forces invaded the proposed industrial area in Kidodo, he explained, adding that the group had since occupied the irrigation scheme, forcing the Kasese town council to change it into a human settlement area.
Angeira, with the acting officer in charge of criminal investigations,Vincent Ebiot, asked the group to vacate the land and take their concerns to the resident district commissioner.
Meanwhile, the Rwenzururu Kingdom has disassociated itself from the collection of money by people claiming that the kingdom would help secure land for the residents from the Queen Elizabeth National Park.
The December 14 press release said some unscrupulous people had been collecting sh35,000 per person, claiming the kingdom would get them land around Katwe salt lake and Kikorongo in the national park.
The residents were warned to guard against such persons.
THE Police in Kasese district have evicted 50 people who had illegally occupied part of Mubuku irrigation scheme in Rukoki sub-county in Busongora county.
The acting district Police commander, Quinto Angeira, on Tuesday said the Rukoki Community Bataka group raided part of Mubuku irrigation scheme and started dividing it among themselves, saying it belonged to their ancestors.
The chairperson, Neckson Teramboko, said in a telephone interview that their ancestors occupied the land in 1935.
He said because of the Rwenzururu war between the Bakonzo, the Toro Kingdom and the Central Government in 1962, they had to leave the area.
He added that after they were displaced, the then Central Government used the opportunity to create an irrigation scheme that took part of their land.
Angeira, however, said most of the group members were from the Kidodo area, Railway village, Kasese town.
A group of over 1,000 people claimed to be landless after being displaced in 2007 when the Allied Democratic Forces invaded the proposed industrial area in Kidodo, he explained, adding that the group had since occupied the irrigation scheme, forcing the Kasese town council to change it into a human settlement area.
Angeira, with the acting officer in charge of criminal investigations,Vincent Ebiot, asked the group to vacate the land and take their concerns to the resident district commissioner.
Meanwhile, the Rwenzururu Kingdom has disassociated itself from the collection of money by people claiming that the kingdom would help secure land for the residents from the Queen Elizabeth National Park.
The December 14 press release said some unscrupulous people had been collecting sh35,000 per person, claiming the kingdom would get them land around Katwe salt lake and Kikorongo in the national park.
The residents were warned to guard against such persons.