{UAH} Museveni, peasants in Gomba land row -this is how the acquire wealth
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10:14 PM |
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Museveni, peasants in Gomba land row
Written by Sadab Kitatta Kaaya
The claimants Eridad Kateregga (R) and Eddie Kisekka In letters to parliament and State House, a family in the central Uganda district of Gomba lays a claim on a 565.32- acre piece of land occupied by President Museveni, The Observer has learnt.
The family of the late Eriasafu Nyalwa is demanding Shs 2.26bn in compensation from Yoweri Museveni for occupying the land for almost 29 years. In their letter to Speaker Rebecca Kadaga, the family asks parliament to intervene.
The land in question is 565.32 acres and is located in the villages of Bulera and Kirasi in Maddu sub-county, Gomba district. It is takes up much of block 86 (323.20 acres) and block 84 (242.12 acres).
The land belonged to Eriasafu Nyalwa (RIP) and his daughter, Nora Kaggwa (RIP), who owned 20 acres. Currently, three of Nyalwa's sons; Eddie Kisekka, Eridad Fredrick Kateregga and Dick Kayongo are the registered administrators of the estate that they claim has been under Museveni's occupation since the early days of his presidency.
Located in Maddu sub-county, this land, local leaders have informed us, is not part of the president's well-known Kisozi ranch, which is located in Kabulasoke sub-county.
"His Excellency the president has been in possession of that land for as long as he has been the president of this country. This implies that if we were in [its] possession, we could have enjoyed a great livelihood in these many years," their petition to Kadaga partly reads.
The petition, dated February 19, was filed through Murungi, Kairu and Co. Advocates. Museveni allegedly occupied the two pieces of land (block 86, 323.20 acres) and block 84 (242.12 acres) after the family sold block 85 (about 645.32 acres) to him in 1986.
"There is no [doubt] that the president is in occupation of the properties of both estates [block 86 and 84]," the petition asserts.
SOS TO MUSEVENI
The petition comes five years after the claimants' futile attempts to get the president to pay. The petitioners claim they have been denied a better livelihood and their children have dropped out of school as result of Museveni's failure to pay them for the land.
In the petition, Kisekka, who signed as the family head, also claims that he is on the verge of losing his house and land on block 265, plots 56 and 114 at Nabusanke in Mpigi district, for failing to clear loans he acquired from moneylenders and Centenary bank.
"[Museveni] has spoken to me on phone and assured me that Flora Kiconco [his private secretary in charge of legal affairs] will handle the matter," Kisekka said.
He added that the phone conversation with the president was facilitated by Lucy Nakyobe, the State House comptroller. Kisekka owes the bank Shs 13m and Shs 50m to MU-SE and Sons Financial Services Ltd.
The moneylender first threatened to sell off Kisekka's land last November, prompting Kiconco to write to the firm.
"This serves to inform you that this office is handling matters pertaining to his (Kisekka) land in Gomba where he expects government to compensate him," Kiconco wrote on November 25, 2014.
She had earlier on August 6, 2014 written a similar letter to Centenary bank, requesting the bank to halt the sale of Kisekka's land at Nabusanke because State House was "in the process of concluding his compensation."
After six months of waiting, the bank, on February 2, issued a new notice to Kisekka, giving him 21 days to clear his debt or have his land (plot 114) sold off. The bank went ahead, on April 21, to place an advert in the newspapers through Benjo general auctioneers and court bailiffs inviting buyers.
The same notice required Kisekka's family to vacate the land within 14 days.
DISTRESS LETTER
Threatened with forceful eviction, Kisekka on the same day wrote a distress letter to President Museveni.
"In spite of the repeated assurances from your office to help and resolve this matter, nothing has been done so far," Kisekka wrote.
"My property has today been advertised for sale by court bailiffs, my hopes and that of my family have completely been shattered. Where shall we go to, Your Excellency?" he wrote.
The letter was copied to Kadaga, Lucy Nakyobe (State House comptroller), Maj Edith Nakalema Asizua (private secretary to the president), Kiconco and Museveni's son-in-law and family lawyer, Edwin Karugire.
When they first made their demand for compensation, Museveni directed the complainants to channel their demand through Karugire. According to correspondences between Kisekka and State House that The Observer has seen, Karugire intervened to block the compensation on July 16, 2014 on unclear grounds.
In one of the correspondences, Kiconco informed the petitioners that Karugire had blocked the surveying of the land until he received a list of all people in Gomba who claim the president was occupying their land. Asked to comment on the story on Monday, Nakyobe feigned ignorance of the petitioners' demands.
"I don't know what you are talking about; I have not seen any of those letters," Nakyobe said.
Prodded further, Nakyobe referred this writer to Kiconco who neither answered nor returned our repeated calls.
sadabkk@observer.ug
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What fruits then do you expect of the wealth creation deceits being propagated across the country when the leader of the country with state resources can grab locals' land with such outright thuggery and open impunity?