More than 500 residents of Kisimula parish in Kapeeka Sub County in Nakaseke district are threatening to strip naked to protest their proposed eviction from their land to pave way for the expansion of Singo Military Training school. The affected residents, most of them NRA veterans, are found in Kasiiga 1 and 2, Kyererezi, Kisimula, Bugaabo, Kawuku, Namasengere villages amongst others.
Recently, Crispus Kiyonga, the minister of Defense ordered the Kapeeka sub county authorities to verify the land owners and tenants occupying the one square mile piece of land bordering Singo Military Training School. According to reports, the information gathered from the verification exercise will be used to compensate the affected families. However, the verification exercise has stalled following threats by residents to strip naked and assault Moses Ssenfuma, the LC III chairperson of Kapeeke Sub County.
Fred Mugerwa, the LC I chairman Kasiiga village, also NRA veteran says that they are not ready to vacate their land because they have nowhere to go. Mugerwa argues that they have occupied the land for more than 50 years, and invested on it heavily. He says that they are not interested in the compensation because they have nowhere to buy alternative land, adding that they have also not entered any negotiations with ministry of defense. Robinah Nanyonjo, a guardian of 20 orphans says that, she has already relocated the remains of her parents twice, adding that it would be unfair to evict her.
Nanyongo whose parents died in the war says that they are still nursing the wounds of the NRA liberation war since they were not given any compensation and wonders why the same government wants to displace them from their land. She vowed not to vacate the land even if it means shading blood.Chrysostom Kanunde, another resident advises the president to relocate the army training school to another area instead of displacing them.
Moses Ssenfuma, the Kapeeka sub county LC III chairman says that he has suspended the verification exercise until he meets Kiyonga to express the concerns of his electorate about the expansion of the training school.
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Attempts to get a comment from the Uganda People’s Defense Forces spokesperson Colonel Felix Kulayigye were unfruitful because his phone was not available.
