Residents staying at the neighbourhood of Kitgum Matidi Health Centre Three are fighting for a piece of land belonging to the health centre.
Four houses have been constructed the piece of land under unclear circumstances.
Locals refused to identify who the owners of the new houses are. When Uganda Radio Network visited the site, there were no people at home.
Kitgum Matidi sub-county chairperson, Pido Gerison Opoya has confirmed the encroachment. Opoya says he is yet to identify the owners of the houses and why they encroached on the land.
The chairperson says he will engage the communities that support development to settle the issue. He says plans are underway to elevate Kitgum Matidi health centre to a health centre four and that the efforts cannot be wasted by people who want the land for their selfish interests.
Cue in: “I am really very disappointed…”
Cue out: “…that one we shall solve it”
He says he will engage the district leadership if the sub-county fails to resolve the impasse.
Kitgum district secretary for health and education, Richard Kilama Dick says it is not only the health centre that is being threatened by encroachers. He says other institutional land in the district is also being threatened.
Kilama says as a measure, the district has resolved to acquire land titles for all pieces of land belonging to government institutions.
Cue in: “as Kitgum district local government…”
Cue out: “institutional lands must have land title.”
The secretary also says the district plans to erect signposts at all the border points between the sub-counties. This, according to Kilama, will prevent constant land wrangles between different sub-counties in the district.
Land conflicts are not new in Kitgum, with the district having more than 1000 land related cases pending before the land tribunal and in the courts.
