Rukungiri PWDs, district feud over land

Rukungiri, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A land dispute has erupted between Rukungiri district officials and People with Disabilities.

Last month, Rukungiri district officials gave out 203 acres of land located in Kikomo village, Bwambara parish, Bwambara sub county adjacent to Bwambara sub-county headquarters to Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) to establish an industrial park.

The land was initially gazetted by the government for people with disabilities in the western region in the 1960’s’.

The giveaway has angered a section of People with Disabilities (PWD)s arguing that the land has been in their hands for more than 20 years. PWDs argue that they were not consulted before the land was given to UIA.

According to the PWDs, the district went ahead and allocated them land located in Nyakagyeme sub-county as a substitute. They argue that the land is very hilly and not productive.

Emmy Turyabagyenyi, the PWDs councillor representing Rukungiri municipal council wonders the motive of top district officials giving them the land located at Bwoma hill yet they are aware that PWDs cannot climb.

Turyabagyenyi says that they plan to plant trees on the land of Bwambara.

Tanazio Karuhuura, PWDs councillor for Western division in Rukungiri municipality says that the PWDs secured a land title of the disputed land in the early 2000’s.  Karuhuura says that though they are not opposing the establishment of an Industrial park in the district, the district officials should provide them with an alternative land that can be easily accessed by PWDs.

Elias Byamungu, the Rukungiri District Chief Administrative Officer says that the land in Bwambara belongs to the government. He accuses a section of PWD leaders for personalizing the land title of the contested land to own it.

Byamungu claims that some PWD councillors have been secretly lending the land to private farmers and not accounting for the money paid.

In May this year, President Yoweri Museveni approved the establishment of 25 industrial parks in all sub-regions in the country. He said that the parks will be established in Arua and Adjumani in West Nile, Gulu in Acholi, Lira in Lango,  Moroto in Karamoja, Soroti in Teso,  Mbale in Bugisu, Jinja in Busoga, Kabale in Kigezi and Rukungiri in Western, Mbarara in Ankole, and Hoima in Bunyoro, Mukono, Namanve, Kapeeka in Nakaseke and Mengo in Kampala.

At least 15 industrial parks have been established in the last five years. The parks were set up in Mbale, Kapeeka, Buikwe, Njeru, Namanve, Jinja, Soroti, Kampala Industrial and Business Park, Luzira Industrial and Business Park, and Bweyogerere industrial estate.

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