Deo Ntakimanyi 60, the Boma village LC I Chairperson, says that his late grandfather was born on the contested piece of land but he is shocked to hear that he is a Congolese.
Stephen Byaruhanga Mfashingabo, the Buliisa Resident District Commissioner-RDC says it has come to their notice that some LC I Chairpersons are behind the rampant cattle thefts in the area.
The residents are facing off with businessman Francis Kaahwa, who is said to have illegally acquired a title for the contested land measuring about 1,800 hectares. The residents say that they learnt about the transaction in 2019 and wondered how Kaahwa acquired a title on the land that many of them have occupied since the 1960s.
Augustine Bagonza, the Masaka landing site LC1 Chairperson says the decomposing body was spotted by women who had gone to fetch water on Friday at around 9a.m.
The facility that is located in Ngwedu sub-county serves patients from the three sub-counties of Buliisa, Kigwera and Ngwedu as well as the Democratic Republic of Congo hence exerting pressure on the few available drugs allocated to it. The centre receives between 150-200 patients on a daily basis.
The wild animals majorly elephants, Hippopotamus, crocodiles and Buffalos from Bugungu Wildlife Conservation Area stray into the community almost on a daily basis causing havoc to locals and garden crops.
In 2020, more than 3,500 families in Buliisa were displaced after floods submerged their homes and destroyed property worth millions of shillings at various landing sites.
Dr. Nelson Naisye, the Buliisa District Health Officer-DHO told URN in an interview that the construction works for the health facility have commenced and are expected to be completed within six months.
The most affected people are from Wanseko, Katanga, Masaka landing sites in Kigwera Sub- County and Kawaibanda, Butiaba, Boma, Kigangaizi, Tugombili and Walukuba. Others are from Bugoigo, Kamagongoro, Kigungu, Serule, Piida, Waisoki, Triangle and Magali in Butiaba sub-county, Kabolwa and Kigoya landing sites in Buliisa sub-county.
The Floods displaced thousands of people in Butiaba and Kigwera Sub counties and Butiaba town council in Buliisa district since March 2020. The floods submerged several homes destroying household property.
According to Naisye, a team from Buliisa district local government has already inspected the land and they are now preparing to officially write to the UPDF engineering brigade to come on the ground to commence the construction works.
The government late last year earmarked 800 million shillings for the construction of the health facility after the former one was submerged by floods that resulted from the rising water levels of lake Albert in 2020.
Moses Kaahwa, the in-charge explains that the facility lacks essential medicines such as anti-malaria drugs, antibiotics, vaccines, and medical supplies such as syringes, gloves, catheters, and gauze among others.
The residents fear that Francis Kaahwa, a businessman in Buliisa and Kampala, will use armed men in uniforms similar to those of the Uganda Peoples Defense to evict them after allegedly fraudulently acquiring a title for their ancestral land measuring about 1,800 hectares. Men dressed in such uniforms were in 2019 used to murder fr people and evict 500 famlies from Kyabisagazi I and Kyabisagazi II villages in Kigorobya sub-county of Hoima district
The Office of the Prime Minister donated 137 bags of maize flour, 27 bags of beans, 845 tarpaulins, 217 plastic basins and 1,245 kilometres of sugar to the flood victims in August 2021. But the items could not reach all the victims, the majority of whom took refuge in churches, schools and makeshift structures scattered across the area.
It is alleged that Amanda has been living with Charles Mungudit for the last five months, but went missing from his parent’s home six months ago under unclear circumstances.
In June 2020, the ferry operations were suspended following the rising water levels of Lake Albert which submerged the docking piers. The suspension left the business community stranded because they could not cross to either side to transact business as usual.
The suspects whose particulars have been concealed for fear of jeopardizing police investigations are believed to have connived with many others still at large to kill Florence Katusiime 26, a resident of Walukuba landing site in Butiaba sub-county Buliisa district.
There are approximately 56,000 fishermen on Lake Albert who harvest more than 100,000 tons of fish per year. But the Fisheries Protection Unit launched a massive crackdown on illegal fishing gear in August and has never ceased its operation against those involved in illegal Fishing since then.
Project Engineer, Tokwiny Charles Wabwire says the ground works will be completed and handed over to McDermott by April, who should start drilling on the Oil and gas drilling in July.
