Residents
from seven villages in Madudu Sub County, Mubende District are living in fear
over looming eviction. The residents accuse Formasa of planning to evict them
from the land where they have stayed for decades.
They allege
that workers of Formasa, a tree planting company are torturing them, destroying
their crops and property with a view of forcing them to vacate land against
their will.
In a meeting
convened by Buwekula North MP, Pascal Mbabazi on Tuesday, the residents accused
workers of the company of torture and blocking them from accessing water sources
and their gardens.
The
residents from seven villages of Butolo, Ngabano, Kakenzi, Nakasozi, Kyedikyo
claim that they settled on the land from 1950s to 1990s but currently it is
claimed by Anna Kyohaire, a businesswoman based in Kampala.
Muwereza
Byamukama, one of the leaders in the area said that the company has animals on
the farm which destroy their crops. He adds that efforts to seek redress are
rendered fruitless while their colleagues were arrested and imprisoned on
various criminal charges.
Madudu Sub
County Chairperson Edward Alyareme said that out of the five farms in the sub
county, Formasa has mistreated people but questioned the basis of the power
that they are using.
The Mubende
LCV Chairperson Michael Ntambi and other leaders have vowed to defend their
electorates by establishing the actual owner of the land in dispute. Ntambi
asked the area leaders to exercise their powers to register all the people
including the company workers to ease identification and deter crime in the
area.
He appealed
for an amicable settlement of the land to ensure peaceful resolution of the
grievances and also to share information with the leaders.
//Cue in: “omuntu
wa
Cue out: “...mutuwulirize.
However,
Kyohaire through her lawyer Paul Kazugi said that he could not respond to some
of the complaints because they are subject to police investigations. On the
allegations of torture, Kazugi apologized and promised to look into the matters
to ensure an amicable settlement to the dispute.
//Cue in:
naye tukusizzaamu…
Cue out: ensonga
ziri mu kooti…
Kazugi also said
that people who do not want to negotiate with them cannot be forced to sell their
land bibanja.
Buwekula
North MP, Pascal Mbabazi asked the district police authorities to intervene to
avoid any possible violence.
