The Inspector General of police Major General Kale Kayihura has blocked the eviction of over 100 residents from the land claimed by a senior police officer.
The residents in four villages of Kikyusa Sub County in Luweero petitioned IGP Kayihura asking him to restrain Wilson Ahimbisibwe, the police commissioner in charge of human resource management from evicting them without following procedures in land act.
The residents in the villages of Bumbu, Kyakatula, Butikwa and Kitajemera accused Ahimbisibwe of buying 200 acres of land in 1996 and issuing eviction orders without compensation. He has also not given them a chance to pay rental fees or buy themselves off on the land as par the amended land act.
Major General Kayihura instituted a probe committee commanded by police commissioner for land protection William Kototyo to investigate the allegations.
The chairman LC 3 of Kikyusa sub county Julius Kaggwa says that Kototyo led the probe committee on Monday evening and inspected the disputed land before recording statements on the complaints of residents.
Kaggwa says that the probe committee also took pictures of the residents and their land. He adds that the probe chairman delivered Kayihura’s message to the residents where he ordered them not vacate the land unless their grievances are addressed amicably.
However, residents appealed to the IGP to restrain the commissioner from using state facilities that include policemen and guns to harassing them.
Edward Namulabye, an affected tenant says that Ahimbisibwe uses police men and guns to threaten the residents. He added that IGP Kayihura should also restrain him and punish him for misconduct.
Another affected tenant, Joseph Byekwaso also asked the police chief to order his officer to drop fake cases of trespass that he opened against them in Luweero magistrate’s court because they are constraining them financially as they grapple with transport to attend the proceedings.
When contacted, the probe committee chairman William Kotokyo confirmed delivering Kayihura’s order blocking the eviction but declined to divulge into the details of the findings.
Commissioner Ahimbisibwe was not in the meeting and was unavailable for comment. But earlier, he was quoted by URN Reporter as saying that he dragged the tenants to court for trespass and wanted court to settle the issue.
