Kalangala district has suspended land allocations following the illegal takeover of three islands by unknown businessmen. The three businessmen stormed Kalangala district last week and took over Funve Island in Kyamusswa Sub County and Bubembe Island and Bunyama Island. Fredrick Baremezzi, Secretary Kalangala district land board explains that the businessmen hired casual laborers to start clearing part of Funve and Bubembe Island to start planting palm oil trees, which sparked off protests from residents.
Baremeezi says that they rushed to the affects Islands and ordered all the casual laborers to stop work because the takeover is illegal. He says that land on the Island is public land which has never been allocated to anyone. Willy Lugoloobi, Kalangala LC V chairman says that says that because of the land grabbing his council has dismissed 300 applications for land and suspended land allocations indefinitely.
He says that they have also set up a committee to investigate land grabbing in the district. Lugoloobi however says that their preliminary findings show that residents who were allocated land are the ones grabbing land in the Island.
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David Balironda, Kalangala district Production secretary attributes the land grabbing to increased demand for land for palm oil tree growing. He explains that an acre of land that was costing shillings 500,000 five years ago now fetches between shillings 2 and 4 million depending on its location.
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Godfrey Matte, the Kalangala DPC says police has deployed on the disputed Islands to avoid land clashes as police investigates the businessmen who illegally took them over.
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Most of the dismissed applications were for people seeking to acquire land on Funve and Bubembe islands which are considered the most beautiful in the district and a big attraction for tourists.
