By Witness Radio Team.
More than 50 families in Ochinga village, Achinga South Constituency in Yumbe district, are feeling vulnerable as they face eviction from the land they have lived on for decades.
The families accuse the area Member of Parliament, Alion Odria Yorke, of fraudulently acquiring their land with the support of a clan member, raising questions about transparency and abuse of power.
“He has started evicting us. And he has already started clearing part of the land. We hear he is preparing it for his cocoa farming business project,” one of the affected, Richard Ayimani, told Witness Radio.
Forty-six-year-old Asiku Victor Yada is among those facing eviction. A resident of Ochinga Village, he says he owns 21 acres of land he inherited from his parents, land that has been passed down through generations.
“I was born and raised on this land. After my father’s death, I inherited it, just as he had inherited it from his father. This has been our generational land,” Asiku told Witness Radio, sharing his deep connection and concern over the ongoing dispute.
He expressed frustration over the ongoing dispute, accusing the MP of abusing his position.
“He talks about corruption and abuse of office by others, yet he is also doing the same by using our nephew to grab our clan land. We cannot accept losing our land through what we believe is a fraudulent process,” he added.
The disputed land, estimated at 519 acres (210 ha), is part of the Kiranga clan, which the community uses for farming and cattle grazing, forming the backbone of their livelihoods.
However, Hon. Alion has dismissed the allegations, insisting that he legally purchased the land from members of the Kiranga clan on May 18, 2025, for UGX 25 million (approximately USD 6,667.91). Yet, the community disputes the transaction’s legality, raising questions about the transparency and proper consultation involved in the sale.
“I have evidence of ownership, including documents and witnesses,” The MP claimed in an interview with Witness Radio. However, affected residents strongly dispute this, insisting they were neither consulted nor aware of any such transaction, raising concerns about the authenticity of the evidence presented.
“He was duped. The person he talks to is our sister’s son, and he does not have the authority to sell clan land without our understanding. Yassin is not our clan leader or landlord as the MP alleges; he belongs to another clan called the Aupi clan,” Mr. Richard explained, highlighting the need for clarity on who has the authority to sell clan land.
Witness Radio was unable to obtain a comment from the alleged land seller, Yassin, as repeated calls to his known phone contacts went unanswered.
One of the complainants, Ayiman Richard, told Witness Radio that he is the rightful heir and custodian of the land. He argues that those who allegedly sold the land were only caretakers appointed after the death of his father.
“This land belonged to my late father, Peter Nakara Ondia. After his death, I inherited it as his heir. My nephews were only given the responsibility to look after the land while I was still young. That does not make them clan leaders or landowners,” he said.
Other residents say they were never informed or involved in the alleged sale and are now living in fear of eviction, feeling betrayed and powerless.
“How can a legislator use fraudulent means to acquire our land? We were not aware of any sale, and we cannot just surrender our land,” one resident added.
Local leaders have also raised concerns over the transaction. The LCIII Chairperson of Ariwa Sub-county, Mr. John Kale, said he was not consulted during the sale process and disputes claims that Yassin is the clan leader.
“It is very surprising that I, as the local council chairperson, did not know about the sale of this land. The Honorable Member of Parliament must have been duped,” he said, before calling on the minister to stop grabbing community land.
As tensions rise, affected families say they have nowhere to go, as the land is not only their ancestral home but also their primary source of livelihood.
Land conflicts have increased in Uganda, where politically connected individuals have found it easy to grab land belonging to poor and vulnerable communities with impunity.
