BY OBED KITHENDE & ISAAC MUMBERE
A delegation from the Office of the Prime Minister is in Kasese district on the fact finding mission about the issues surrounding Bwenanule land that was allegedly bought by government to resettle the flood victims encamped at Muhokya.
The Muhokya Resettlement Camp in Kasese, Uganda is home to flood victims who were displaced by the 2020 floods in the entire district.
In July 2021, the Prime Minister pledged that government would resettle the victims and the promise is yet to be fulfilled.
Today, the delegation visited the said land but it was shocked when the area Local Council I Chairperson, Mr. Lawrence Bwambale handed them documents indicating that the claimed land was in courts of law over issues related to ownership.
Initially, the land in question amounting to over 400 acres was being claimed by Makitibu Mixed Farmers which according to them, they acquired a title in 1987 but Mr. Bwambale told the delegation that when they recently went to Entebbe to crosscheck the title, it was realized that said land was not titled.
The leader of the visiting delegation, Gen. Rugadia Akiiki, the Head of Emergency confirmed during a stakeholders’ meeting held at Bwenanule Trading Centre in Muhokya Town Council that the Office of the Prime Minister released money to buy land to resettle the floods victims.
He told the meeting the purpose of their visit was to come on ground and establish if the land was bought and its location, the one who sold it and the affected persons.
He thus promised to make a fact finding report and include all what the community members told them in a transparent way.
Mr. Solomon Eluguti, the in-charge of Disaster Preparedness Management told the meeting that government was aware that Kasese district was full of disasters, adding that they were not happy seeing people stay in Muhokya for over four years unattended to, a reason why they wanted to get land on which to resettle the flood victims using the rightful channels.
Mr. Zepher Mubingwa, the Kasese Deputy Resident District Commissioner in-charge of Busongora County asked the residents of Bwenanule to remain calm as government sorts out the land issue.
ENDS