Deputy Attorney General halts eviction of nine villages from NFA land

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Deputy Attorney General Jackson Kafuuzi has halted the eviction of over 1,500 people from nine villages in Kibalinga sub county in Mubende district believed to be sitting on a forest reserve.

In June last year, Robert Mubokhisa, the National Forestry Authority officer in charge of Mubende and Mityana districts said the authority had completed the exercise of opening the boundaries of Kyampisi forest reserve and advised all the people within the forest land to vacate voluntarily since there wouldn’t be any compensation for any damage resulting from forceful eviction.

The affected people protested the eviction notice and petitioned the government. On Saturday, the Deputy Attorney General Jackson Kafuuzi held a crisis meeting with the affected people drawn from Kyampisi, Kajunju, Ntunda, Bweyendere, Kyanasiki, Mbona, Nabibungo, Kanayegera and Kalega, Kiteredde villages at Kibalinga sub-county headquarters.

He assured the occupants that it is the responsibility of the government to protect its people and their property, saying nobody can think of developing their areas with fear of being evicted any time.

Kafuuzi revealed that the government has a special fund earmarked for compensating landlords who intend to evict Ugandans from their areas of settlement and promised to dispatch a team to evaluate the land and they buy it for the locals.

The contested land measures about 1000 hectares. The affected residents say that although NFA claims ownership of the contested land, it does not belong to the authority.

David Kabanda, one of the settlers told Kafuuzi that NFA has already demarcated the whole area with threats of evicting them, which has triggered tension in the community.

Michael Ntambi, another resident wonders why the government issued a land title to a church sitting on the same land way back in 1927 if it really knew that the land was in a forest reserve.

Bashir Lubega, another resident says NFA exceeded the areas which belong to the forest reserve and  included the land they inherited from their great grandparents many years back.

Mubokhisa declined to comment on the matter saying he isn’t authorised to speak on behalf of the authority. He instead referred us to the NFA Communications and Public Relations Manager; Aisha Alibhai who couldn’t be reached on phone by the time of filing this story.

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