Former Nakasongola district chairperson, Christopher Bagonza, has been summoned to appear before a district special probe committee to respond to allegations that he grabbed more than 200 acres of public land.
Residents have accused Bagonza, who is also former Jinja Resident District Commissioner, of grabbing public land in Katamandwa swamp in Wankokooma village in Wabinyonyi Sub County. He is expected to appear before a probe committee chaired by the acting Resident District Commissioner, Patrick Wako on Tuesday.
Trouble for Bagonza started on Monday when more than 100 residents at the village staged a demonstration and walked on foot to the offices of the RDC and the district chairperson. The demonstrators submitted a petition demanding for immediate eviction of Bagonza from the land which he had fenced off and turned into farmland.
The lead petitioner and the chairman LC 1 of Wankokooma, Julius Kabanda, says that the land in question was gazetted by government as public land in 1968 and a public valley dam was constructed to assist the residents in the sub county to access water for cattle and home use. But in 2000, Bagonza allegedly used his position as Chairperson LC 5 in and acquired the land under fraudulent means.
Kabanda explains that Bagonza fenced off the land and denied more than 4000 residents access to the only public valley dam. As a result, according to Kabanda, up to 30 head of cattle have died due to lack of water. Kabanda adds that Bagonza has also reportedly threatened to evict 40 residents who settled on the land decades ago.
James Wandira, the Nakasongola district chairperson says that the land in question should be used communally for grazing cattle and that Bagonza has no authority to fence it off as an individual.
// Cue in; “In fact am surprised…………………
Cue Out………………lease offer is rescinded”//
The residents want Bagonza to be evicted and investigated to establish how he acquired the land title.
The acting RDC Patrick Wako says he has summoned Bagonza to appear before a special committee to explain how he acquired the land in question.
When contacted, Bagonza said he is no longer in government and that he bought the land and has the right to fence it off so as to carry out private businesses. He however declined to explain the circumstances under which he acquired it.
