Over 100 people have pitched camp at Lwebitakuli Play ground in Sembabule District, protesting against its takeover by a businessman.
Lwebitakuli play ground is a community football pitch used by locals and schools during games and sports.
But on Tuesday, Kiiza Bruhan, a Sembabule businessman brought construction materials to put up a maize milling machine.
This did not go down well with the residents. Led by Godfrey Sserwanja, a Lwebitakuli local leader, the residents camped in the play ground and blocked Kiiza from kick-starting the construction of the maize milling machine. The angry residents armed with big sticks and pang a chased him but he escaped unhurt.
Sserwanja explains that they will not allow him to turn it into his private business because they were not consulted before allocation.
The Lwebitakuli LC3 Chairman Fred Kiwanuka says Kiiza will not be allowed to construct his maize mill in the play ground because it is the only community play ground in the area. He explains that since there was no change of user from a play ground to maize mill, the take over and allocation is illegal.
Kiwanuka says they have also written to Sembabule district land board ordering it to refund Kiiza’s money because the play ground is not for sale.
Kizza Bruhan who is also a resident of Lwebitakuli Trading Centre insists that the play ground land belongs to him. He says nobody will block him from constructing a maize mil in that area because he acquired that public land in order to develop it and he has a genuine land title which was certified by the district land board.
Kamala Bayeye, the Sembabule RDC says he is still monitoring the situation. He says he has instructed police to deploy and monitor the situation before it gets out of control.
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