The woman; Maria Goretti Nakitende is accusing a section of her paternal relatives of plotting to evict her and her family, among them, her 86-year-old mother from the land which was given to them by her late grandfather in 1996.
A 65-year-old woman in
Bbulabakulu, Mmende Sub County in Wakiso District has appealed to authorities
to prevail over her relatives and protect her on a 4-acre piece of land.
The
woman; Maria Goretti Nakitende is accusing a section of her paternal
relatives of plotting to evict her and her family, among
them, her 86-year-old mother from the land which was given to them by
her late
grandfather in 1996.
She said that her late
grandfather Muwanga Katende gave her the land with a written agreement which was
later confirmed in his Will. The same Will also shares the rest of the land among
other relatives. She narrates said that upon giving her the land in question the
grandfather personally introduced her to the neighbours and local leadership
in the area, and has now stayed on the land for 25 years.
//Cue in; taata abo abantawanya…
Cue out...nga kiyimiridde.”//
But two years ago, her relatives started
demanding a share of the same. Nakitende said that the group led by her
uncles; Samson Ssemwogerere and Salongo Kibirango as well as her aunties Joyce
Najjuma, Nakitende and Nabukalu reported the matter to the Local Council
leadership which ruled in her favour.
They presented an intending buyer
for the said land and asked her to release the original documents for which she
objected. Subsequently, she narrates, the group destroyed her crops. She said
that the matter was reported to the district and she was asked to pay 300,000 Shillings
for the valuation of her crops which she failed to raise due to lack of income.
The family has since reported a
case of forgery against her at Kawempe Police Station where she was recently
detained for 7-days.
//Cue in; “nembagamba lwaki…
Cue out...olemedde ebiwandiiko.”//
Mariam
Nabatanzi, one of the relatives described the actions of her
siblings as greed and malice. She explains that she witnessed their late
father signing an agreement that gave Nakitende the 4-acres and that
her siblings were equally given their
shares in Kawempe, which they have since sold off.
//Cue in...nze senga we…
Cue out...namukolera endagaano.”//
Local council leaders at the village
and sub-county level who initially intervened in the family wrangle appealed to
higher authorities to save the old woman reasoning that she is
incapacitated financially.
Ivan Ssebunya, the area
chairperson said that the area leadership have since decided on the matter in favour
of Nakitende but her relatives are using the police and higher offices to
deprive her of the property.
//Cue in...okusinziira ku…
Cue out...okumuvunaana.”//
He said that the action of Nakitende’s
relatives is in defiance of the leadership and that they are using impunity to torment her.
Lawrence
Kayongo, another leader
described the fight as unfortunate and added that the area leaders have
known Nkaitende for more than two decades as the rightful owner of the
land but her
relatives are using underhand methods to fight her.
Mmende
Sub County Vice
Chairperson Mathias Birungi Ssemujju faulted the Police from Kawempe and
Wakiso for acting unprofessionally and overlooking all the legal
support that Nakitende has over the land.
He said the matter was reported to the office of Resident District
Commissioner
– RDC but no action has ever been taken against suspects in the case of
malicious damage to her crops
//Cue in; "sijja kunenya…
Cue out...mu ddaame."//
He appealed to the government to come in and save
Nakitende from the relatives and land brokers who intend to grab her land through violence.
