Settlers appeal for more security
Aug 14, 2009
THE immigrant community in Kyangwali sub-county in Hoima district has appealed for more security to protect them from being evicted. Hailing the Police for coming to their rescue when they risked being chased from their land, the immigrants, known as Bafu
By Pascal Kwesiga and Henry Mukasa
THE immigrant community in Kyangwali sub-county in Hoima district has appealed for more security to protect them from being evicted. Hailing the Police for coming to their rescue when they risked being chased from their land, the immigrants, known as Bafuruki, said they were still living in fear.
“We are asking security to do more to protect us because these people can come back and do anything anytime,†said Mazirane Rwemera, the Kyangwali LC3 chairman.
Their survival, he added, was in the hands of the Police, who have deployed heavily in the area. “We thank the Police for responding quicklyâ€
Rwemera, a Mukiga immigrant, was narrating their ordeal during a meeting with regional security officers on Wednesday night.
The meeting at Katikara I trading centre, which attracted a big crowd, was attended by Hoima district Police commander Julius Owino and regional Police chief Marcellino Wanitto.
Rwemera accused some traditional royal guards of the Omukama (king) of sparking off the latest conflict.
“They came here on August 3 and held a meeting with some native Banyoro in which they planned to evict us,†Rwemera told the Police.
“People who attended the meeting told us that they called us rebels who had invaded the king’s land and that they had orders to evict us by force.â€
Rwemera said their plight was not helped by accusations that immigrants were grabbing land and dominating the political space in Bunyoro.
“The Banyoro politicians and some state agents, who have an interest in this land, are trying to evict us,†he noted.
The sub-county chairman dismissed reports that Bakiga settlers had grabbed the land on which they are living. “There is nobody who grabbed land. We all bought land from Banyoro and most of us now have titles,†he said.
Wanitto called for calm and warned against violence. He also promised to provide more security on the ground.
THE immigrant community in Kyangwali sub-county in Hoima district has appealed for more security to protect them from being evicted. Hailing the Police for coming to their rescue when they risked being chased from their land, the immigrants, known as Bafuruki, said they were still living in fear.
“We are asking security to do more to protect us because these people can come back and do anything anytime,†said Mazirane Rwemera, the Kyangwali LC3 chairman.
Their survival, he added, was in the hands of the Police, who have deployed heavily in the area. “We thank the Police for responding quicklyâ€
Rwemera, a Mukiga immigrant, was narrating their ordeal during a meeting with regional security officers on Wednesday night.
The meeting at Katikara I trading centre, which attracted a big crowd, was attended by Hoima district Police commander Julius Owino and regional Police chief Marcellino Wanitto.
Rwemera accused some traditional royal guards of the Omukama (king) of sparking off the latest conflict.
“They came here on August 3 and held a meeting with some native Banyoro in which they planned to evict us,†Rwemera told the Police.
“People who attended the meeting told us that they called us rebels who had invaded the king’s land and that they had orders to evict us by force.â€
Rwemera said their plight was not helped by accusations that immigrants were grabbing land and dominating the political space in Bunyoro.
“The Banyoro politicians and some state agents, who have an interest in this land, are trying to evict us,†he noted.
The sub-county chairman dismissed reports that Bakiga settlers had grabbed the land on which they are living. “There is nobody who grabbed land. We all bought land from Banyoro and most of us now have titles,†he said.
Wanitto called for calm and warned against violence. He also promised to provide more security on the ground.