Government Superiors, private Investors spotted for being involved in public land grabbing

Amos Tayebwa

Mbarara

According to the findings and survey made by a section of Legal Women Activists under their Umbrella Friends of Women Initiative (FROWI), it has been established that most public land grabbing cases registered entail attachment of Government high ranking Officers and Private investors who have used their positions to grab lands from the poor citizens and the widows mainly.

During a press briefing that was held at Lake View Hotel in Mbarara on 2nd July 2024, women activists under FROWI and partner organisations initiated a campaign that will mobilise citizens across Uganda to “say no to land grabbing, say no to forceful land evictions and say no to land conflicts in their communities”.

The national campaign intends to empower the citizens, especially the women to defend their land rights successfully. There will be provision of land law training and implement an information campaign aimed at making people aware of their land rights.

Bonny Beinomugisha, Legal Officer FROWI mentioned that most of the government powerful Officials and the private investors use the weakness and the advantage of the citizens especially the women who are ignorant about the land laws and land rights.

She said that these cases happen and the victims fail to attain justice that they deserve.

She alleged that sometimes the victims fail to get fair justice for reasons that there is connivance between the land grabbers, security forces like police and the army including the judicial officers who do not follow the law while administering justice and settling land cases.

Beinomugisha has reveaveled that there is relatively little awareness of land sector institutions and procedures. She revealed that knowledge of the practical mechanisms necessary to uphold people’s land rights is generally limited and confusing.

She said that as FROWI, this is one of the reasons that prompted them to wake up and initiate the campaign of awareness about land eviction and grabbing and make the citizens understand the laws and rights about their lands.

They want to create massive sensitization among the citizens and help them to attain fair justice that they deserve.

Friends of Women Initiative is a non government organisation that calls upon all actors in Government, private sectors and civil society to join FROWI as it implements a land rights information campaign aimed at making people more aware of their rights under the law where a number of stakeholders in Uganda have been calling for such a campaign.

“We call upon Government agencies like Uganda Land Commission to prevail over their Officers who connive with land grabbers to steal people’s land. We also call upon the security forces like police and army to stop conniving with land grabbers and evicting residents illegally.
As land rights defenders, we pledge to continue working to promote and protect land rights in Uganda. We shall provide practical help for all those whose work and decisions may have a positive impact on the lives of displaced people and support all victims seeking to exercise their simple and basic right to go home” said Beinomugisha, Legal Officer FROWI.