One person has been killed and three others critically injured during a land clash in Kiziranfumbi sub county Hoima district.
Several houses were burnt and property worth unspecified amount of money destroyed during the Tuesday night land scuffle in Kyabataka B parish.
Police identified the deceased as 30 year old Pius Twinamasiko, a resident of Kyabitaka B village in Munteme parish Kiziranfumbi sub-county Hoima district.
The injured are now admitted at Mukabara health centre in Kiziranfumbi Sub County although police has declined to reveal their identities.
At least 15 suspects have been arrested in connection with the incident and police has been deployed in the two villages to prevent more bloody clashes.
Augustine Kasangaki, the Hoima District Police Commander says the clash was between the two alleged illegal settlers on Prince Herbert Kimera’s piece of land which is shared by Kabwoya and Kiziranfumbi sub counties.
According to Kasangaki, the scuffle started when a group of settlers from Kyabataka A armed with spears, machetes and sticks, invaded their colleagues in Kyabataka B sparking off a violent clash.
The DPC says although the matter is still under investigation, preliminary reports show that the first group accused their colleagues of cultivating on their land.
Francis Bwesige, the Kiziranfumbi sub county LC3 Chairperson explains that the invading group was recently evicted from the land in Kyabataka B by the landlord, Prince Herbert Kimera.
The LC3 boss suspects, the invading group was angered on seeing that other settlers were on the land from which they were recently evicted.
It was, however, not immediately clear how the new settlers had gained access to Kimera’s land as he could not readily comment on the matter.
Prince Kimera, a member of the Bunyoro royal clan, has for years been in conflict with residents in Kiziranfumbi and Kabwoya, accusing them of settling on his land.
The land, measuring about 8 square miles, covers several villages in the two sub counties. Most of the settlers on the land are Bakiga and Banyarwanda whom Kimera alleges encroached on his land with the aid of some local leaders.
