In short
Iddi Kisiki Lubyaayi, the former Bukomansimbi Member of parliament has fled his home in Masaka a day after residents attacked his farm and set it a blaze.
Iddi Kisiki Lubyaayi, the former Bukomansimbi Member of parliament has fled his home in Masaka a day after residents attacked his farm and set it a blaze folowing a land dispute. The disputed 15 acre farm is located at Mwaalo village in Kyabakuza trading center in the suburbs of Masaka town. The farm contains banana, coffee, eucalyptus tree plantations and sweet potatoes amongst other crops.
On Sunday, over 15 residents of Mwaalo went on rampage and set the farm a blaze accusing Lubyayi of evicting them from their land illegally. It all started after Lubyayi started erecting a fence around 4 acres of land occupied by 15 families under the tight protection of 15 Saracen guards. This didn’t go down well with the residents who confronted the guards and ordered them to stop fencing their land.
Armed with sticks, bricks and tree branches, the residents started beating up security guards who responded by firing in the air to disperse them. They also set all the poles ablaze and set the farm on fire before police intervened. Peter Jjemba, who led the residents, says they decided to burn the farm to stop Lubyaayi from grabbing their land.
Jjemba says the land in question belongs to him and his family but they were shocked when Lubyaayi started fencing it office forcefully. According to Jjemba his family inherited the disputed piece of land from his late father Fortunate Kivumbi who passed away about 15 years ago. Jjemba says his family has all documents proving their ownership of the land.
Jjemba says he will fight tooth and nail to resist the illegal eviction of residents from the land because they pay rent for using the land. By this morning, Lubyaayi had relocated his family to unknown place. When URN reporter visited his mansion near the farm, it had been closed and there was no one apart from anti riot police that is deployed in the area to prevent further clashes. Lubyayi later told URN on phone that he was not ready to discuss the land matters on radio.
He also refused to disclose where he had relocated his family too. Noah Sserunjogi, Southern Region Police PRO says police is maintaining security at the disputed land to avoid fresh violence. He also says police is set to meet all the warring parties in a security meeting later today to discuss the matter.
On Sunday, over 15 residents of Mwaalo went on rampage and set the farm a blaze accusing Lubyayi of evicting them from their land illegally. It all started after Lubyayi started erecting a fence around 4 acres of land occupied by 15 families under the tight protection of 15 Saracen guards. This didn’t go down well with the residents who confronted the guards and ordered them to stop fencing their land.
Armed with sticks, bricks and tree branches, the residents started beating up security guards who responded by firing in the air to disperse them. They also set all the poles ablaze and set the farm on fire before police intervened. Peter Jjemba, who led the residents, says they decided to burn the farm to stop Lubyaayi from grabbing their land.
Jjemba says the land in question belongs to him and his family but they were shocked when Lubyaayi started fencing it office forcefully. According to Jjemba his family inherited the disputed piece of land from his late father Fortunate Kivumbi who passed away about 15 years ago. Jjemba says his family has all documents proving their ownership of the land.
Jjemba says he will fight tooth and nail to resist the illegal eviction of residents from the land because they pay rent for using the land. By this morning, Lubyaayi had relocated his family to unknown place. When URN reporter visited his mansion near the farm, it had been closed and there was no one apart from anti riot police that is deployed in the area to prevent further clashes. Lubyayi later told URN on phone that he was not ready to discuss the land matters on radio.
He also refused to disclose where he had relocated his family too. Noah Sserunjogi, Southern Region Police PRO says police is maintaining security at the disputed land to avoid fresh violence. He also says police is set to meet all the warring parties in a security meeting later today to discuss the matter.
