United Nations High Commission is accusing officials of land tribunals in Kitgum and Lamwo districts of fanning land disputes instead helping to resolve the wrangles.
Daniel Okello, the national programme officer for United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights says such their findings show that members of the land tribunals are either party to the conflict or lack capacities to handle land related cases.
Okello says that most victims feel aggrieved because they believe the people handling the cases are biased. He says that as a result many of the people engaged in land wrangles resort to violence to settle the dispute.
Okello says land related cases that should have been handled as civil cases are criminalized because the people handling them are incompetent and leave the aggrieved parties unsatisfied.
He explains that as a result several residents have lost confidence in the land tribunals which is escalating the land disputes.
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Sally Amony Okumu, Kitgum district programme officer for Uganda Human Rights Commission agrees with Okelly. Amony believes the lower council land tribunals are inadequately trained to handle land related complaints, that's why they end up taking sides in the conflict.
Kitgum district Land Board chairperson, Daniel Nyeko blames the problem on engaging politicians in resolving land conflicts. Nyeko says most local council officials are part of the problem because they also peddle land conflicts to benefit from it.
He says many of the politicians who sit on sub-county and parish land tribunals use the opportunity to suppress people who have genuine land complaints against them.
Nyeko wants government to provide a legal frame work that will lead to the creation of permanent land tribunals at the sub-counties to resolve conflicts instead of relying on local councilors who can be voted out any time;
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The district land board chairperson also wants cultural institutions revived to settle land disputes.
Nyeko says the institutions play a significant role because they understand the nature of conflicts and always offer solutions that create harmony among the warring factions.
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He says such institutions are not costly in administering justices to the locals and offer valuable solutions.
