Over 50 residents of Katakara village in Kikamulo Sub County, Nakaseke district have accused Resident District Commissioner, Geoffrey Kyomukama of grabbing their land.
Residents claim that RDC Kyomukama bought the land title of the whole village from Dinah Ndabidde, a former landlord and has embarked on annexing their plots to his farm without compensation and is threatening to evict them to pave way for expansion.
90 year old Valerian Kinalwa, one of the affected residents says Kyomukama bought over 200 acres of the land in 2005 and established a farm in a swamp. He explains that the RDC told residents that he was interested in developing the swampy area and he would not interfere with the tenants’ settlements and gardens.
Kinalwa notes that a few years down the road, the RDC has embarked on expansion of the farm. Kinalwa’s two-acre piece of land that had coffee and banana plantations was reportedly taken and the RDC refused to compensate him.
Kinalwa says that when he tried to ask for compensation, the RDC ordered him to back off or else he will lose even the remaining land.
Another 54 year old, Specioza Namusisi says that apart from the RDC annexing pieces of land to his farm, he is also allegedly feeding his cows, goats and sheep in the residents’ gardens.
Namusisi says that her potato plantation was destroyed by cattle but when she asked for compensation, the RDC promised to intervene. However, nothing was done.
The chairman of Kikamulo Sub County, Ssenteza Mwebe says that the residents are living under fear that RDC Kyomukama is likely to evict them from land and they have nowhere to relocate to. He adds that the sub county has called a crisis meeting over the issue.
Residents who have lived on the land for over 80 years vow not to leave the land and are planning to petition President Museveni over the conduct of his representative in the district.
When URN reporter talked to Kyomukama on Tuesday, the RDC however said that he had a land dispute with only one person and he was not aware of other people’s complaints.
He added that he will visit the area over the weekend and talk to residents over issue.
