By Witness Radio team
The Mubende Police on Wednesday last week recovered the body of a yet-to-be-identified male person who committed suicide in one of the resident’s gardens in Kirwanyi, Kitule parish in Butoloogo Sub- County in Mubende district. The incident has caused shock and fear to the community who believe this is a plot to criminalize land grab in their area.
The police have not yet established the identity of the deceased calling, on the public who may have lost any of their beloved ones to approach them
“We have neither identified the personal information or relatives for this person nor the cause of his death ever since we received his body. He was found hanged in a resident’s garden and is also unknown to the community. We call upon anyone who lost a relative to approach us.” Racheal Kawaala, the Wamala Region Police spokesperson told Witness Radio on Saturday last week.
He was found dead and hanging on a tree at around 3 pm on Tuesday by a resident who had gone to tend to his maize plantation. The resident whose attention was attracted by an awful stench alerted the village leaders, residents, and the police.
The next day, police swung into action at 3 pm and picked up the body of the deceased, and took it to Mubende hospital.
Ms. Kawala added that senior officers joined the probe into the cause of the death. She added that the body is, however, still kept in Mubende Hospital Mortuary.
However, the news of the dead body left the community shocked and in fear of arrests for allegedly being behind the cause of the murder. They believe this is a plot by their evictor, a renowned land grabber, Naava Milly Namutebi to frame them with murder charges so that she can continue grabbing their land.
According to the community, the discovery of the body happened just a few days after the return of the self-claimed landlord and her intensified violent land grab.
In December, Naava returned to the community land guarded by (four) 4 armed men and started harvesting community members’ crops. They allege she might be behind the dead body that they believe was dumped to further the land grab.
At least 30 houses and hundreds of hectares of crops especially maize have been destroyed in the recent violent evictions according to a community land rights defender, Mr. Ssesazi Christopher.
Since 2012, Naava with support from a senior government army officer Major Eric Kigamboha, and the Mubende police have displaced over 4000 people from their land without a court order and continue to perpetrate violence against families that are still staying on the land.
Over 3.5 square miles belonging to residents have all been taken by the wealthy investor without consent from the owners.
This took them aback, in 2019, a similar incident happened, seven community members were framed for having killed one Mbabazi Samuel who worked as a casual laborer for a self-claimed landlord Naava and was imprisoned for three years in jail without trial.
The casual worker had been murdered in cold blood. The residents were later accused of being behind the murder in a bid to eliminate some of the powerful and vocal land rights defenders to ease her land grab process.
According to locals, the two workers of Naava lynched their colleague at one of the resident’s gardens. Later, this incident was used against vocal rights defenders who were resisting her land grab.
“Eventually, some information leaked from some of the workers that the residents will be punished and charged for the murder. Some villagers went on the run while others who remained were arrested by the police.” One of the defenders revealed this information in an interview with Witness Radio.
Tumusiime Benjamin, Bagirana Innocent, Habana Damaseni Miyingo Gerald, Byangaramani Charles, and Byekwaso Fred were arrested by armed policemen attached to Mubende police on orders of one Naava Milly Namutebi. But luckily their charges were later dropped by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) in June last year
Naava’s continued land grab and perpetuation of violence defy the recent orders of both the Prime Minister of Uganda Rt. Hon. Nabbanja Robinah and the Minister of Land, Housing, and Urban Development Hon. Judith Nabakooba. . Last year, Nabakooba visited the affected communities and directed no further evictions.
However, when Naava defied and continued the violent evictions, over 60 residents pitched camp at the Prime minister’s home in Kakumiro district in December protesting the continued destruction of their property.
Sources told Witness Radio that the Prime Minister ordered the arrest of the renowned land grabber and the withdrawal of policemen that have been guarding and facilitating the land grab.
