The Banyabindi Community has joined the land victims encamped at the Kasese Resident District Commissioner’s (RDC’s) premises, demanding land for resettlement.
Mr. Wilson Bitamazire Mijumbi Amooti, the Chairperson for the Banyabindi Community says they were displaced 70 years ago (in 1952) during the creation of Queen Elizabeth Nation Park and further uprooted during the Rwenzururu rebellion (1961 – 1982).
Mijumbi adds that since them, they have lived in Internally Displaced Camps without land or dignity.
He stresses that despite the previous presidential pledges (1994, 2012, and 2016) and government-backed recommendations (from the 2007 Inter – Ministerial Committee, Government Technical Team and Equal Opportunities Commission), no resettlement has been implemented for the landless Banyabindi.
The Banyabindi demand for urgent allocation of land for resettlement as pledged by the President and recommended by government agencies.
Speaking to Messiah Radio at the temporarily established located at the Booma Grounds in Kasese town, some of the victims from the Banyabindi Community including William George Akugizibwe, from Fort-portal City shared their struggles, saying displaced has scattered them across the country hence making their recognition a bit challenging.
Annet Basemera from Bunyangabu district told the press that their displacement has negatively impacted on their children’s education, arguing that they cannot raise money to pay school fees because of land of access to their pieces of land.
ENDS