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DEFENDING LAND AND ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS

Breaking Alert! A community fighting forced eviction during COVID-19 lockdown, Witness Radio-Uganda together with Accountability Counsel file a complaint before the World Bank’s Inspection Panel…

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4 years ago

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In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kawaala community of Kampala, Uganda, is facing eviction to pave the way for the construction of the World Bank-funded Lubigi drainage channel. Accompanied by armed soldiers, representatives of the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) turned up at shocked residents’ homes, placing a red “X” on many structures and explaining that they were earmarked for demolition – the first those families had heard of the KCCA’s plan to take their homes and land.

The construction of the Lubigi drainage channel will displace more than 100 families from their shelter and farmlands. These farms enable community members to feed their families and sell other produce, earning income that pays for their children to attend school. For some of the community members, family grave sites will be lost, as well as ancestral land intended for their children and grandchildren. Yet neither the KCCA nor the World Bank provided adequate information to the community about project plans, nor did they meaningfully consult them on the extent of displacement and any plans for compensation and resettlement, as required by World Bank policies, before issuing eviction notices.

After its glaring mismanagement of this project was highlighted by the Kawaala community and its local partners, including Witness Radio, KCCA and its agents have begun to push affected community members through a rushed and problematic resettlement process, prioritizing project timelines over the livelihoods and wellbeing of affected people and the accuracy and completeness of the process. Out of desperation, many community members have signed documents they do not understand.

The Kawaala community raised its concerns with the World Bank Uganda country office and asked them to closely monitor the project, but the World Bank refused – using restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse for their inaction – seemingly indifferent to the risks and impacts of forcibly displacing a vulnerable community during that same pandemic.

Given these failures, in the face of the severe threats to their wellbeing and livelihoods, the Kawaala community has filed a complaint about the project to the World Bank’s Inspection Panel seeking protection from the forced and unfair eviction processes, as well as meaningful consultation and participation in the design of a comprehensive and fair resettlement solution.

THE STORY: 

An attempted forced eviction, during a pandemic

A channel diversion constructed around 2014 now causes water to flow through
residents’ properties. The planned expansion will widen it to 70 meters across, causing
extensive forced eviction.

In December 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, communities living in Kawaala Zone II, in Kasubi Parish, Rubaga Division, Kampala were awoken in the early morning hours to find excavators and armed guards destroying their property, without any prior consultation or plan for compensation and resettlement. The previous day, they had received eviction notices requiring them to vacate their lands within 28 days. The eviction notice was issued by the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA). The KCCA, with support from the World Bank, is constructing the Lubigi drainage channel as part of a broader road and infrastructure project.

The Kawaala community has lived, built their homes, and earned their livelihoods through farming and livestock-keeping in the area since the 1960s. With a population of approximately 300, the community is composed mostly of elderly men and women. Given the high number of elderly persons in the community, most are illiterate. Their farms enable community members to feed their families and sell other produce, earning income that pays for their children to attend school.

On December 3, 2020, the Kawaala communities were shocked to find KCCA representatives in their village, accompanied by armed guards, distributing eviction notices and informing residents that they had 28 days to vacate their homes. KCCA representatives approached residents’ homes, placing a red “X” on many structures and explaining that they were earmarked for demolition.

The eviction notices included a claim that violations of health and safety code were the reason for the evictions. However, through active investigations, the community was able to confirm that the area was being cleared to make way for the expansion of the Lubigi drainage channel, part of the World Bank-funded Second Kampala Institutional and Infrastructure Development Project (KIIDP-2).

Over the following two days, in contravention of the 28-day notice period, the KCCA began attempting to evict residents. They brought excavators and destroyed some homes and gardens before community members were able to contact local leaders, who successfully intervened and persuaded the KCCA to halt the eviction process.

The Kawaala community, with the support of Witness Radio, was then able to challenge the eviction by filing a case at the High Court in Kampala. This prompted the KCCA to halt the eviction process. However, the court case remains undecided and the eviction notice still has not been withdrawn, leaving the community at risk of sudden eviction.

The World Bank’s involvement

The World Bank’s KIIDP-2 project funds the construction and rehabilitation of roads and associated infrastructure throughout Kampala via a USD 175 million loan. This project includes, among other works, the expansion and construction of the Lubigi Primary Drainage Channel, which forms part of the eight primary channels in Kampala and is 2.5 kilometers long. The project also involves institutional and systems development support to the KCCA, including for engineering and technical services.

KIIDP-2 follows the Kampala Institutional and Infrastructure Development Project (KIIDP-1), which had similar objectives. Around 2014, KIIDP-1 led to the construction of a channel diversion that ran through the land of many local residents and cut others off from easy access to schools and basic services. Residents report that this diversion was described to them as “temporary,” and they were therefore not offered resettlement compensation. Some received a small sum for temporary disturbance from project works, while other families affected by the diversion did not receive even this much and were thrown into a state of desperation or even homelessness following the original channel diversion. KIIDP-2 will expand on this diversion, widening it significantly and requiring forced eviction of residents across an area 70 meters wide and 2.5 km long. Many residents report that they never realized that the diversion would be made permanent until the forced eviction process began last December.

A general project fact sheet by the KCCA claims that all affected properties were registered years ago, and states that no new developments will be valued or compensated, but residents dispute this claim. The KCCA has since walked back from this assertion and begun a rushed and problematic resettlement process, based on a contested and non-consultative surveying process that residents believe does not accurately reflect their land rights.

The channel diversion that began construction nearly 10 years ago has separated community members’ homes from the shops and schools visible across the waterway. This bridge was built by community members as a temporary fix, but it is dangerous, especially when water levels rise. Community members fear the channel expansion will exacerbate these problems.

The devastating impacts of this project

The Lubigi drainage channel project will result in most affected families losing their homes and others losing their farmland, leaving very little for them to sustain themselves. In addition to that displacement, the construction of the drainage channel poses a series of other environmental and social concerns:

  • Loss and disruption of family remains: Some community members risk losing the remains of their loved ones that are buried in the land set aside for the project.
  • Food insecurity: This risk comes as a result of the destruction of crops, including those crops already destroyed in the attempted forced eviction in December 2020.
  • Loss of education: In case of any eviction or relocation without adequate compensation, community members fear that the children will be forced to drop out of school since the houses built and the crops grown on the land are their sole sources of income to cover their fees and tuition. Community members fear that this in turn will lead to increased marriage rates for young girls with limited options.
  • Safety risks: Following the construction of the channel to date, the local area has become unsafe for children to play outside due to a constant risk of drowning, which is especially heightened during rainy periods. There have been reported cases of people drowning.
  • Sexual exploitation: Some women in Kawaala have been compelled to engage in transactional sexual relationships to ensure that their children’s basic needs are met ever since the KCCA coerced them into abandoning their gardens to make way for the construction of the channel diversion under KIIDP-1. Residents fear that this pattern will be intensified if community members are not provided with fair and complete compensation to address the full extent of economic impacts from another forced resettlement.
  • Cumulative impacts of multiple infrastructure projects: The Kampala Northern Bypass Highway, funded by the European Union and the Government of Uganda, as well as the Lubigi Sewage Treatment Plant, funded by the European Union and the German Government, were also constructed in the community’s immediate vicinity in recent years, surrounding the Kawaala community on multiple sides by government-sponsored and internationally funded infrastructure projects.
  • Flooding: Far from improving the flooding problems that plague the area, community members have observed that flooding has actually increased in Kawaala Zone II, since the channel diversion and other multiple infrastructure projects began.
  • Other social impacts: Residents expect that eviction without adequate compensation will likely lead to a host of other foreseeable social issues, such as increased rates of domestic violence, child abandonment, or other family rifts.

Because of the totality of these impacts, the community deems it best to be compensated and resettled elsewhere in order to live with dignity.

Raising concerns with the World Bank Uganda country office

The KIIDP-2 project is proceeding in blatant contravention of a host of World Bank commitments designed to ensure meaningful consultation of communities and to avoid or mitigate environmental and social impacts, including resettlement. Although the KCCA has walked back from its initial assertions denying residents’ rights to compensation, in recent months it has undertaken a forced, rushed, and non-transparent survey process that some residents were unable to participate in. Residents are deeply skeptical that any compensation determined based on this incomplete survey will provide them with fair and accurate compensation assessments.

On March 4, 2021, community representatives raised their concerns regarding the project and the potential harm in a meeting with KCCA officials and the World Bank Uganda country office team. The World Bank team directed that the KCCA intensify citizen and stakeholder engagement and provide adequate project information to the community in Luganda rather than English. Further, the KCCA was asked to carry out proper identification of the project-affected persons and, through a consultative process, determine the amount and type of compensation needed. Lastly, the World Bank team directed that the KCCA re-constitutes a Grievance Redress Committee composed of representatives of all the stakeholders in the project.

The World Bank, however, refused the community’s demand that Bank staff visit the project site and engage in follow-up meetings with the community. The community feared that, without this supervision, the KCCA would continue to abuse the rights of affected community members.

Those fears have been realized. The KCCA has not followed the directions of the World Bank and is continuing to rely on its forced survey process, as well as failing to meaningfully consult community members on the details of any compensation.

A Kawaala resident was in the midst of constructing his home when he heard about the eviction notice. He hesitates to continue construction out of fear of imminent demolition.

Inspection Panel complaint

Through Witness Radio, community representatives reached out to Accountability Counsel to support the filing of a complaint. Because of the non-responsiveness of the KCCA and the World Bank to their concerns, the community wanted to escalate those concerns to the World Bank’s independent accountability mechanism, the Inspection Panel. After several consultations with different groups in the community to understand their concerns and goals of the complaint, Witness Radio and community representatives filed a complaint on June 17, 2021 with the following demands (in summary):

  • That the project should be investigated and evictions halted until affected people are properly informed about the project and consulted about its impacts and necessary mitigation measures, and are consulted on the formation of a resettlement action plan that addresses the concerns of local residents;
  • That the KCCA formally withdraws the eviction notice issued under the Public Health Act Cap. 281 against the residents and other similarly affected persons;
  • That the community be resettled and fairly compensated, given that the land is now uninhabitable;
  • That the compensation processes be aimed at ensuring that the entire family is included and able to share in the benefits, rather than being provided to the head of household only, which can contribute to intra-family and social conflicts and gender disparities. For example, the KCCA should encourage both spouses to sign compensation documents and attend related meetings, and it should provide compensation funds into jointly-owned bank accounts; and
  • That the affected people should be provided with resettlement assistance, including scholarships for their children at least until families have an opportunity to find an alternative livelihood. Any resettlement assistance should include social support programs such as stress management, anger management, and domestic violence sensitization programming to reduce common social problems that can accompany physical displacement.

The complaint is currently awaiting registration and an assessment of eligibility by the Inspection Panel.

Case Partners

Accountability Counsel is partnering on this case with Witness Radio, an advocacy and media organization focused on issues of rights in development in Uganda, cutting across sectors (including agribusiness, environment, mining, and extraction). They monitor, document, and report human rights violations using traditional and new media formats and, where possible or necessary, support communities to seek justice through judicial and non-judicial mechanisms.

THE CASE: 

  • Jun 2021

    Community representatives filed a complaint with the World Bank’s independent accountability mechanism, the Inspection Panel, on June 17.

  • Mar 2021

    Community representatives met with the World Bank Uganda country office and the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).

  • Dec 2020

    In spite of the 28-day notice period communicated on the previous day, on December 4 and 5, the KCCA began attempting to evict residents. They brought excavators and destroyed some homes and crops before community members were able to contact local leaders, who successfully intervened and persuaded the KCCA to halt the eviction process. Shortly after, the Kawaala community, with the support of Witness Radio, was then able to challenge the eviction by filing a case at the High Court in Kampala. This prompted the KCCA to halt the eviction process. However, the eviction notice still has not been withdrawn.

  • Dec 2020

    On December 3, the KCCA issued a notice to residents of Kawaala Zone II to vacate their land within 28 days.

    IMPACT:

    Through their local partner, Witness Radio, community representatives reached out to Accountability Counsel because their concerns were not being heard by the World Bank or its client, the Kampala Capital City Authority. As is too often the case, as soon as Accountability Counsel became involved, the World Bank became more responsive – although their actions continue to be woefully inadequate to prevent harm and comply with their own environmental and social safeguards.

    Given those failures on the part of the World Bank and its client, community members decided to elevate their concerns to the World Bank’s Inspection Panel. In April 2021, Accountability Counsel’s Africa Communities Associate, Robi Chacha Mosenda, traveled to Kampala to document the community’s concerns and goals in preparation for complaint filing.

    On June 17, 2021, Witness Radio filed an Inspection Panel complaint on behalf of the Kawaala Zone II community, seeking protection from the forced and unfair eviction processes, as well as meaningful consultation and participation in the design of a comprehensive and fair resettlement solution.

    In close partnership with Witness Radio, we will continue to support the Kawaala Zone II community to prepare for, understand, and navigate through each stage of the Inspection Panel’s process, demanding accountability and remedy from the World Bank for its oversight and lack of due diligence that has harmed these communities.

    CASE MEDIA: 

    Media Coverage

    Photos

    Family burial sites have experienced regular flooding ever since the initial channel diversion directed water through residents’ properties. These burial sites now in the path of the planned channel expansion (Credit Witness Radio).

    This channel diversion constructed around 2014 will be widened to 70 meters, requiring extensive evictions. (Credit: Witness Radio).

    A makeshift bridge connects Kawaala residents with schools and shops across the channel but creates a safety hazards, especially during frequent flood events.

    The channel diversion constructed in 2014 has led to increased flooding and safety hazards, including at least one drowning due to inadequate walkways around the channel. (Credit Witness Radio)

    A community kickboxing academy marked for demolition by KCCA.

    A homeowner hesitates to finish construction his home, as it is marked for demolition by the KCCA.

    Original Source: accountabilitycounsel.org

Related posts:

Witness Radio – Uganda and partners welcome a public acknowledgment of the complaint lodged before the World Bank’s Inspection Panel. Ugandan communities fighting forced eviction during the COVID-19 pandemic is facing reprisals from the World Bank-funded project implementer, defender arbitrarily arrested Forced eviction during covid-19 lockdown: KCCA with the World Bank funding is excluding me and my siblings from being compensated for our properties because we evolved lawyers in the eviction process. Witness Radio welcomes the World Bank’s intervention into Kawaala drainage channel project affected persons… Ugandan community files complaint to World Bank amid forced evictions

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DEFENDING LAND AND ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS

EACOP: The number of activists arrested for opposing the project is already soaring in just a few months of 2025

Published

5 days ago

on

March 24, 2025

By

By Witness Radio team.

There is concern over the escalating arrests of environmental activists in Uganda opposing the construction of the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). These have been frequently subjected to brutality and torture by the armed forces, especially during operations.

According to Witness Radio’s investigations, over 15 activists have fallen victim to the arrests since the start of this year, 2025, a number that is likely to escalate due to the continued brutalization and criminalization of the EACOP activists’ activities. These youth groups merge with different activist groups, including Students Against EACOP Uganda, Extinction Rebellion Justice Movement Uganda, and StopEACOP movement, among others, to demand justice and accountability over the Mega EACOP project.

The activists are against implementing the EACOP project, a significant oil development initiative that they believe will harm the environment and the people of Uganda. The project involves the construction of a 1,444 km heated pipeline from Hoima in Uganda to Tanga in Tanzania, transporting crude oil from Tilenga and Kingfisher fields. The activists’ concerns include disruption of ecosystems, water resource contamination, climate change, and oil spills. They argue that the project has already resulted in unfair compensation and resettlement, forced displacement, and loss of livelihoods to the host communities.

However, despite their efforts and substantial cause to protect both people and the environment, they are continuously faced with brutal arrests and charges, including public nuisance, unlawful procession, and inciting violence, among others.

Speaking to Bob Barigye, one of the activists, he expressed frustration over the charges against them, which he says have rendered them outcasts in society.

“Can you imagine raising an important issue and you’re labeled as nonsensical? Because we are exposing the project’s negative effects, we are being charged with common nuisance and inciting violence, among others. These charges have tarnished our reputations in our societies,” he revealed.

The government has often responded harshly to those opposing the EACOP project. Activists and affected communities have faced severe criminalization, persistent threats, and, in some cases, legal action for refusing to surrender their land for the project.

The latest incident happened on March 19th, 2025, when over 30 youths marched to parliament to deliver their petition to the speaker of Uganda, Anita Annet Among, in protest of the ongoing construction of the East African Crude Oil pipeline. The demonstrators were intercepted by armed police, resulting in the brutal arrest of four of them.

The activities attached to Extinction Rebellion Justice Movement Uganda had four of its members arrested, namely, Mpiima Ibrahim, Brian Wasswa, Lubega Hakim, and Ejimu Clavin, were later charged with common nuisance and are currently remanded in the Luzira Maximum Prison until March 25th.

In response to the arrest of its members, the Extinction Rebellion Justice Movement Uganda, on its x handle, posted, “Our fearless members have been brutally arrested and beaten while peacefully marching to Parliament to deliver a petition demanding an end to fossil fuel subsidies.” In a follow-up post, the movement added, “We demand their swift release and an immediate end to fossil fuel subsidies. This fight for justice and a sustainable future needs all of us,” the movement added.

Despite ongoing protests, the government has maintained that Uganda’s oil development project is irreversible and will proceed as planned. The EACOP project involves the construction of a 1,444km heated pipeline from Hoima in Uganda to Tanga in Tanzania, transporting crude oil from Tilenga and Kingfisher fields. The government argues that the project will bring economic benefits to the region and is being implemented with due consideration for environmental protection and community welfare. They also point to the potential for job creation and economic growth that the project could bring.

Nearly a month ago, 11 environmental activists were arrested while marching to the EU headquarters in Uganda to deliver their plea to one of its member states in France to stop their involvement and support of the EACOP project in Uganda.

The eleven were released and ordered to report to Buganda Road Court as a requirement for their bail bonds, while the four were remanded until tomorrow, March 25th.

Last year, the Witness Radio team recorded over 100 cases of arrests involving EACOP activists.

This year, the cycle of oppression, brutal arrests, and persecution of those opposing the pipeline has continued, with 15 cases reported in recent months.

However, these repercussions have not weakened the activists’ resolve. Instead, they remain steadfast in their determination to demand transparency and accountability regarding the project’s consequences. Their resilience in the face of adversity is a testament to the importance of their cause and the need for continued support and awareness.

Related posts:

Police arrest some of the activists who attempted to deliver a petition to the EU.
Another group of eleven environmental activists have been charged with common nuisance and remanded to Luzira Prison for opposing the EACOP project. Breaking: Eight (8) environmental activists have been arrested by police over protesting against the EACOP project. EACOP activism under Siege: Activists are reportedly criminalized for opposing oil pipeline project in Uganda. Breaking: 15 Anti-EACOP Activists Arrested in Kampala While Marching to Parliament A bail application for the 15 EACOP activists failed to take off, and they were remanded back to Prison.
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DEFENDING LAND AND ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS

Latest: Buganda Road Court grants bail to Eleven Ugandan environmental activists after spending over a week on remand.

Published

3 weeks ago

on

March 10, 2025

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By Witness Radio team.

The committed environmental activists, who steadfastly advocated for halting the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) Project, have been granted cash bail after a week-long stint in prison.

Court led by Her Worship Jalia Basajjabalaba granted each environmental activist a cash bail of 100,000 Uganda Shillings.

The accused were arrested on February 26, 2025, as they were marching to deliver a petition to the European Union Delegation at their headquarters in Kampala, Uganda.

Upon arrest, they were arraigned before the Buganda Road Magistrates Court and charged with common nuisance, a legal term often used to describe actions that cause inconvenience or harm to the public or a section of the public.

The eleven include Shafic Kalyongo, Joseph Ssengozi, Namuddu Rahima, Gilbert Nayebare, Arafat Mawanda, Hillary Mangeni, Brilliant James Mufere, Desire Ndyamwesiga, and Keisha Ali.

The environmental activists wanted the EU delegation to use its influence over France, one of its member states, to stop supporting Total Energies in the EACOP project. The project has become a source of frustration for the Ugandan and Tanzanian communities.

Total Energy and Other shareholders, including the state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) and the governments of Uganda and Tanzania, spearheaded the construction of the EACOP, which stretches 1,445 kilometers from Hoima, Uganda, to the port of Tanga, Tanzania.

The protesters emphasized that the pipeline project, which involves extensive land clearing and potential oil spills, will cause significant environmental damage and has already destroyed people’s livelihoods, particularly those dependent on agriculture and fishing in the affected areas.

The activists will appear in court for their April 8, 2025 trial.

 

Related posts:

Some of the EACOP activists in the court dock awaiting bail approval.
Breaking: Buganda Road Court grants bail to 15 stop EACOP activists after 30 days in prison. Buganda Road Court will hear a bail application for 15 EACOP activists today. Another group of eleven environmental activists have been charged with common nuisance and remanded to Luzira Prison for opposing the EACOP project. Breaking: Mwanga II Court grants bail to two defenders and a Project Affected Person (PAP).1 A bail application for the 15 EACOP activists failed to take off, and they were remanded back to Prison.
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DEFENDING LAND AND ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS

Buvuma Palm Oil Tree Growing: more community land rights defenders are getting targeted, facing judicial harassment, and others are jailed on trumped charges.

Published

3 weeks ago

on

March 5, 2025

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By Witness Radio team.

Majjo, a farming village in Buvuma District, is approximately 180 kilometers from Uganda’s capital, Kampala. Situated near Kitamilo, the district headquarters, the villagers lived in peace until the introduction of oil palm plantations around 2015. Since then, the communities have faced increasing unrest.

The push for the palm oil project expansion has emboldened land spectators and oil palm brokers to seize more land from neighboring communities. Those who resist often face harsh consequences, as they are criminalized by these influential individuals behind the land grab. These individuals, well-connected and shielded from accountability, use their power to suppress any opposition to their land acquisition activities.

At 8 am EAT on Thursday, February 20, 2025, community land rights defender Mr. Ssentongo Livingstone, dressed in a blue shirt, brown trousers, and worn-out black shoes, was heading to the Grade One Magistrate Court in Buvuma for his court hearing. Ssentongo has become a committed advocate for land rights in his community, enduring oppression while continuously mobilizing his fellow villagers to resist the land grabs associated with the expansion of oil palm plantations.

I had hoped to interview him that morning about the growing criminalization of those opposing the palm oil plantations in Buvuma. Still, it was impossible as he was in a hurry to attend court. He said, “I am rushing to court now. I have to attend a court hearing, but I will talk to you later, probably after the court session.” When I asked about the case, he explained that he faced several criminal charges, including trespassing and others. This prompted me to follow him and observe the court proceedings.

The journey to court was short, taking only about twenty minutes on foot. As we walked, Ssentongo angrily remarked, “Is it because I am closer to the court, police, and prison that I am treated this way?” He speculated that the land grabbers might be using this opportunity to repeatedly target and arrest him.

Along the way, I accompanied him and his lawyer in solidarity. Ssentongo was also joined by fellow community members in Majjo and Bukula villages who, like him, are facing similar criminal charges from the Buvuma cartel of land grabbers, though today, it was Ssentongo’s turn. The community members expressed their frustration and disbelief at the repeated targeting of their fellow villagers.

Ssentongo, in court, was represented by his lawyer, Adongo Sarah, from Witness Radio Legal Clinic, a Witness Radio – Uganda department. The hearing started at precisely 9 am. Before his Worship, Johnson Talemwa began with a case concerning carrying out prohibited activities in the forest reserve.  The prosecution alleged that the defender cut, burnt, or destroyed flora in the forest reserve, growing trees and other growing shrubs without a license in the Kirigye local forest reserve.

During the court hearing, the defense was expected to present a witness to support the claim that Ssentongo was a legal occupant of the land, which is being called a forest reserve. However, the defense counsel pointed out discrepancies in the case, noting that the accused was being tried twice by the same court, with the same complainant, for the exact charges.

“My Lord, my client is being tried on the same case twice by the same complainant; this is not right. I pray that your court looks through this matter for further indulgence.” Counsel Adongo revealed.

His Worship, in response, requested Counsel Adongo file her submission with proof that her client was being tried twice on the same case and thereafter adjourned the case to March 13, 2025, for a ruling.

Thinking that we were done with the day’s court appearance, as the case we had come for had been adjourned, we were shocked to see a second file related to Mr. Ssentongo was called. Now, this was a criminal trespass case before Magistrate Court. In this case, Buvuma College School, the complainant, accused Ssentongo of illegally occupying the same land, which the District claimed is part of the Kirigye forest reserve. Then, there is the third case, which involved allegations of illegal activities on forest land, with Ssentongo again accused by Buvuma District of occupying Kirigye Forest land.

Both cases were also adjourned to the same date, March 13, 2025, because the defense lawyer was new to the cases and requested more time to review the files. Counsel was instructed to file her submissions by March 7, allowing the Magistrate time to review the submissions before issuing a ruling on the 13th.

The relentless and exhausting persecution faced by families in Majjo and Bukula villages, Nairambi Sub-county, Buvuma District, is a stark reminder of the injustice prevailing in our society.  Those who resist surrendering their land for oil palm cultivation are the most targeted, and many families face similar hardships, with some having two or three cases heard in one day, all stemming from their fight to protect their land from being seized.

These communities are being persecuted by a powerful alliance of Buvuma District officials, judicial personnel, police officers attached to Buvuma District Police, officials from Buvuma College School, and workers from OPUL. Together, they have criminalized the actions of several community members, all to facilitate the expansion of palm oil plantations.

During arrests, family heads are forcibly taken from their homes by armed police officers, acting on orders from a powerful trio of Buvuma District officials, Buvuma College School, and workers from OPUL. They are then arraigned before court, unscrupulously charged with multiple offenses, and enduring unnecessary suffering.

“We are arrested without reason and a warrant,” said one Kyeswa Steven. “The only explanation we are given is that it’s an order from above. But why are we being punished for defending the land we legally acquired? Why don’t they buy land elsewhere?”

In one of the cases, on November 7 last year, Mr. Ssentongo’s home in Majjo was raided by two armed police officers from Buvuma police station. They handcuffed and arrested him, stating that the order came from Buvuma District Police Commander Bagole Michael and that they were instructed to take him to the district police station.

“They raided my home around 10 am while I was having breakfast. They were armed, told me not to run, and warned me that if I did, they would shoot me. They handcuffed me, placed me on a police motorcycle, and instead took me straight to court,” he recalled.

Upon arrival, Ssentongo claimed he had been immediately charged with prohibited activities in a forest reserve.

“It seemed like they were well-prepared. The file had already been prepared, and the charges were quickly read to me. I was remanded for over a month without a proper hearing.” The defender, now out on bail, recounted,” he added.

Mr. Ssentongo further explains that this powerful alliance has not only criminalized him and his fellow community members but has also resorted to violence, assault, and threats against the families of those leading the resistance to the land grab. His wife stands as a testament. In an interview with Witness Radio, Namisango Juliet says a day after the arrest of his husband, on November 8 at night, goons armed with sticks and dressed in casual clothes attacked and brutally beat her while accusing her and the family of refusing to vacate the contested land.

“On that day, three people invaded our home at around 10 pm. They found me bathing. So, when I attempted to get into my house, they held me, beat me, and threw me to the ground, accusing me of supporting my man in the resistance. They said once I failed to convince him to vacate the land, they would come for my life.” She added.

Another resident, Nsubuga Charles, was ordered to vacate his land after losing a court case. He has been arrested and charged with criminal trespass three times. On January 24, 2025, the court ruled in favor of Buvuma College School, ordering Nsubuga’s eviction and barring him from using or accessing the land despite his legal rights to the property.

Before the ruling, in November 2024, the magistrate had instructed Nsubuga to stop using the land while the case was pending. However, in December 2024, the magistrate sentenced Nsubuga to four months for allegedly disobeying his order. Nsubuga maintains that the magistrate was unfair, stating, “The magistrate said I had cultivated and planted crops on the land, which wasn’t true. He based his judgment on hearsay and didn’t conduct a locus visit, making the charges against me unjust.”

Additionally, the magistrate fined Nsubuga one million Ugandan shillings (1,000,000 UGX) for allegedly disobeying his orders despite his having already served his sentence.

Ssentongo is currently battling with cases CRB:301/2023, accused of illegally occupying Kirijje forest land (offense carrying out prohibited activities in forest reserve), CRB 232/2024 with complainant Kabale Denis (District Forest Officer) charged with carrying out prohibited activities in the forest reserve and CRB 098/2023 on criminal trespass with Buvuma College administration, the complainant.

In 2020, he was arrested, charged with criminal trespass in case number CRB:131/2020, and sentenced to one year in Majjo prison.

“I think you have witnessed what I have been through. Today alone, I have three cases, just the ones currently being heard. I have been arrested and charged over nine times. Imagine, and the reason is that I am resisting and mobilizing my community to fight against the land-grabbing scheme orchestrated by powerful, connected individuals,” Ssentongo revealed in an interview with the Witness Radio team.

Others facing persecution are

  1. Steven Kyeswa, Kisekwa Richard, and Kibondwe Chrysostom on CRB 141/2024 on assault charges.
  2. Kisekwa Richard and Kibondwe Chrysostom on CRB:251/2023 were accused of criminal trespass.
  3. Nsubuga Charles on CRB: 263/2021, CRB 165/2022 and CRB:263/2023. In all cases, he was charged with criminal trespassing on his land, and the Buvuma school administration accused him of trespassing on the school’s land. According to Nsubuga, the school withdrew criminal case number 165/2022 and subsequently filed a civil case (022/2023), which was ruled in their favor.

Whereas community defenders are charged with the same criminal offenses by the same complainants in Buvuma, according to Uganda’s constitution, this is unlawful. Section 18 of the Penal Code Act Cap 120 states that a person shall not be punished twice for the same offense under this Code or any other law.

Related posts:

Oil palm growing threatening food security in Buvuma Uganda: Buvuma residents land cleared for oil palm growing before compensation Uganda: Judicial harassment of environmental and human rights activist Desire Nkurunziza Palm oil plantation expansion: A disturbing alliance between a palm oil company, district officials, and a college school is actively seizing land from farming communities in Buvuma district for their own profit. Court charges and remands two community land rights defenders and eight farmers to prison
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