About 800 households from three villages in Rakai District have received temporary relief from a pending eviction following the intervention of the Rakai Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Ms Sarah Kiyimba.
The affected residents, who occupy sections of land in the villages of Kakundiro, Byakabanda, and Kiyonza in Byakabanda Sub-county, petitioned the office of the RDC after receiving eviction notices from a businessman identified as Mr Jamada Mutebi, who claims ownership of more than 170 acres.
During a community meeting held on the disputed land on November 10, the residents told the RDC that the dispute over its ownership dates back to 2006, when Mr Mutebi first attempted to take full possession of the land, insisting he was the rightful owner. Locals also accuse Mr Mutebi of fraudulently acquiring the disputed land by allegedly forging signatures of district land officials.
‘If he [Mutebi] had obtained the land through proper channels, we would mobilise the locals to pay him Busuulu (annual nominal ground rent), but we have information that the transaction in which he was purportedly allocated public land by the district land board was done during the Covid pandemic lockdown,’ Mr Eriab Ssango, one of the affected residents, said during the meeting.
‘We also remember that during that time, land transactions had been suspended,’ he added. Residents further accuse Mr Mutebi of attempting to use forceful means to evict them from land where they have lived for over two decades. ‘He has attempted to use armed men to evict people, and several residents have lost property in foiled eviction attempts. We have tried to report the matter to police with little success. We have temporary relief because of the RDC’s intervention,’ Mr George Bbale, the chairperson of Byakabanda Sub-county, said.
Ms Kiyimba assured residents that no one will be evicted without following the right procedures, adding that even if Mr Mutebi secures a court order, it must first be assessed by the District Security Committee, which she heads. ‘We can’t just sit back and watch when someone is destabilising the area simply because he reportedly secured a court order. The District Security Committee has to first sit and assess the situation before any court order is implemented,’ she said.
Mr Mutebi, however, dismissed claims that he intends to evict residents from the disputed land, saying the allegations are aimed at tarnishing his image.
‘I have instructed my legal team to handle the matter,’ he said, without divulging details.