Olara Otunnu speaks out on Amuru land

By Vision Reporter

The UPC party president, Dr. Olara Otunnu has advised President Yoweri Museveni to keep off issues concerning land in Amuru district saying he is ready to do whatever it takes to protect people's land from being grabbed. 

Addressing journalists in Gulu on Sunday, Otunnu alleged that there is a State House sponsored land grabbing scheme under the pretext that it was bringing investors.

"I want to address this issue to the President, the issue of taking people's land is not a small matter. I want to tell Museveni to back-off the land in Amuru. We shall not allow anybody to take the land at Kololo and Lakang in Amuru," Otunnu said.

He noted that protecting people's land requires collective efforts of all political parties. "We have already informed the international community like the UN, human right groups about this," Otunnu said.

He said the 1995 constitution says land does not belong to any individual in Government including President Museveni. "Museveni has no land in Amuru to give to Madhvani Group of Companies. He is acting outside the constitution and we condemn that act,"Otunnu said.

He added that much as they are in favour of development, they need genuine investors who are not fraudsters and not through State House. 

"Genuine investors come and put their offers before the owners of the land and the land owners offer their land as equity for development," Otunnu said.

He explained that according to economists, Uganda does not have comparative advantage in growing sugarcane locally than importing sugar from outside the country.  "In fact sugar imported is cheaper than that produced locally," Otunnu said.

Otunnu noted that there is no evidence to show that sugarcane growing will bring about development in Amuru adding that close to 100 years, there has been sugarcane growing in Busoga region but the area has remained the poorest in Uganda with jiggers.

The former Gulu municipality MP David Oceng Penytoo said Madhvani Group of Companies applied for 40,000 hectares of land but Amuru district land board gave them only 10,000 hectares for sugarcane growing in Lakang and Kololo parishes.

Otunnu stated that there are no social services for the people of Lakang and Kololo parishes apart from the newly built Police barracks and electrical poles which are being planted to Omee in Amuru district.