David Mutahuga Masereka, the Resident District Commissioner Nakasongola has been implicated by more than 300 residents of Wabale Village for aiding an Arab investor to grab their land. Masereka is accused of conniving with Nassir Kassim Saad to grab and evict residents from 231 acres of land located at block 11 plot 06 at Wabbale village in Nakasongola town council.
Emmanuel Ssembatya, the chairperson of the affected resident says that they acquired the disputed land in 1970 from Livingston Lubega, who acting in behalf of their land lord Sowali Wamali. He however says that Saubah Nabukalu, a daughter to the deceased sold off the land Nassir Kassim Saad without giving them chance to buy it. Sembatya says that they tried to protest the transaction by engaging the attorney general who is also the area Member of Parliament Peter Nyombi and police but their efforts were thwarted by the RDC.
He alleges that the RDC singled out some vocal residents who were opposed to the land transaction and threatened them with arrest. Muhamadi Jaggwe, another affected residents accuses the RDC of chairing secret meetings and his home to devise means of grabbing their land.
//Cue in;’’the RDC himself……………………….
Cue out;…………………………….much help from the RDC’’//
He alleges that Masereka was personally involved in the forceful eviction of Steven Wandera from his land yet a case is still ongoing before the Nakasongola court. Sarah Nakafumbe, who owns eight acres of land on the disputed land, says that they have stopped cultivating food crops after the investor issued them with an eviction notice.
David Masereka describes the accusation of the residents against him as wild, saying that he has only been linking them with the investor so that they can receive fair treatment and compensation. Nassir Kassim Saad, the Arab investor couldn’t be reached by our reporter for a comment on the alleged land grabbing.
Last year residents of Lwabyata Sub County in Nakasongola staged protests accusing Masereka of conniving with Tirupati Development Company to grab their. They later petitioned President Yoweri Museveni who ordered the investors to back off the land.
