Over 300 residents of Lwayata Sub County in Nakasongola are threatening to match to the statehouse to protest their proposed eviction by Tirupati Development Company. They accuse Tirupati Development (U) limited of trying to evict them without compensation on a 4 square miles piece of land on which they are settled.
The affected residents are found in 3 parishes Of Nalukonge, Kansira and Kikoge. Tirupati Development Company bought the land in question from Charles Musisi last year at undisclosed amount of money. Scovia Nansikombi, one of the affected residents owns ten acres of land. She accuses their former land lord Charles Musisi of selling off the land after soliciting huge sums of money from residents to give them land titles.
Nansikombi says that they are now facing threats of eviction from Tirupati yet they have no where to settle. Dalton Lukwago, another resident says that he has lived on the disputed land for more than 40 years. He says that evicting him now is totally an unacceptable because he has no where to go. Lukwago says that they petitioned David Masereka, Nakasongola Resident District Commissioner to intervene and protect them but he instead sided with the investor.
He says that they have now resolved to walk to statehouse Entebbe until President Yoweri Museveni intervenes in the matter and orders Tirupati to back off their land. James Wandira, Nakasongola LC V chairman accuses Tirupati of failing to consult the area leaders before it bought off the land. Wandira advices the company to find alternative land for their sugar cane production saying that they have no free land in Nakasongola.
He says that they have now petitioned the president over the matter since sugar cane production is not of importance to the district compared to the settlement of residents. David Masereka, Nakasongola Resident District denies siding with the investor adding that no will be evicted. Cissy Namaganda, the public relations officer of Tirupati told URN that she was not yet aware of the complaint from residents. She however promised to comment on the matter after getting a briefing from her bosses.
