SAVE US, M7! 70 Rakai Families Cry Out Over 20
Seventy families in Rakai, Uganda, are petitioning President Yoweri Museveni to resolve a 20-year land dispute. They allege that a land agent has been illegally leasing their occupied land and using security officials to intimidate them.
Why it matters
This highlights ongoing issues regarding land tenure security and the influence of powerful individuals over vulnerable communities in rural Uganda.
At least 70 families in Byakabanda Sub-county, Rakai District, have appealed to President Yoweri Museveni to intervene in a 20-year land dispute that threatens to leave them homeless.
During a joint meeting led by their village chairpersons, the affected families, all residents of Lugongo, Lwannamboga and Katerero villages, resolved to petition the President over a contested 200-hectare piece of land, saying they have exhausted all other avenues without finding a lasting solution.
Eriya Bukenya, the Chairperson of Lugongo Village, says that the dispute stems from what the residents believe is public land that Mutebi allegedly obtained lease offers for in 2006. He claims Mutebi has since been allocating portions of the land to other individuals, despite the presence of long-time occupants whom the law recognises as bona fide tenants.
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