Govt favouring Basongora - MP
Sep 27, 2007
THE Government has been accused of favouring pastoralists (<i>balaalo</i>) in Kasese district. The Busongora south MP, Christopher Kibazanga, said some high-ranking Government officials helped the <i>balaalo</i> acquire land in areas that were not gazetted for human settlement.
By Apollo Mubiru
THE Government has been accused of favouring pastoralists (balaalo) in Kasese district. The Busongora south MP, Christopher Kibazanga, said some high-ranking Government officials helped the balaalo acquire land in areas that were not gazetted for human settlement.
Appearing yesterday before the select committee probing the pastoralists’ movements, Kibazanga alleged that the pastoralists were becoming an untouchable ethic group.
“The Basongora are favoured by the State. Anytime they get a problem, the President meets them without the district leadership’s knowledge,†Kibazanga said.
The Basongora are the pastoralists in Kasese who had encroached on Queen Elizabeth National Park. They were recently resettled following a Cabinet’s decision to allocate them 30,000 acres of land in Kasese.
When the Uganda Wildlife Authority tried to evict them, the Inspector General of Police, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, stopped the exercise accusing the authority of using excessive force. There were over 8,000 pastoralists with more than 10,000 head of cattle.
Kibazanga said the Government was also responsible for the land crisis in Kasese that has been exacerbated by the pastoralists who claim land that does not belong to them.
The Government owns over 80% of the land in Kasese and most of it is used as national parks, game reserves, schemes and prisons farms. Kibazanga advised that some of the land be degazzetted for human settlement.
Asked to propose a solution to the shortage of land in Kasese, he replied that: “The Government must first repossess the land, map it and then give it back to people.â€
THE Government has been accused of favouring pastoralists (balaalo) in Kasese district. The Busongora south MP, Christopher Kibazanga, said some high-ranking Government officials helped the balaalo acquire land in areas that were not gazetted for human settlement.
Appearing yesterday before the select committee probing the pastoralists’ movements, Kibazanga alleged that the pastoralists were becoming an untouchable ethic group.
“The Basongora are favoured by the State. Anytime they get a problem, the President meets them without the district leadership’s knowledge,†Kibazanga said.
The Basongora are the pastoralists in Kasese who had encroached on Queen Elizabeth National Park. They were recently resettled following a Cabinet’s decision to allocate them 30,000 acres of land in Kasese.
When the Uganda Wildlife Authority tried to evict them, the Inspector General of Police, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, stopped the exercise accusing the authority of using excessive force. There were over 8,000 pastoralists with more than 10,000 head of cattle.
Kibazanga said the Government was also responsible for the land crisis in Kasese that has been exacerbated by the pastoralists who claim land that does not belong to them.
The Government owns over 80% of the land in Kasese and most of it is used as national parks, game reserves, schemes and prisons farms. Kibazanga advised that some of the land be degazzetted for human settlement.
Asked to propose a solution to the shortage of land in Kasese, he replied that: “The Government must first repossess the land, map it and then give it back to people.â€