By Witness Radio Team
Barely twenty-one (21) months after a team of lawyers foiled a forced eviction of urban poor families to give way for a drainage channel construction, ministries, government departments, and security organs are again up in arms carrying out forced evictions.
This second forced eviction is another attempt by the government to run away from the free, prior, and informed consent and provide a fair and timely compensation responsibility to a community affected by an infrastructural project. Now National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) is disguising as ‘evicting wetland encroachers’ a move targeting the urban-poor families’ land.
In December 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kawaala Zone II community in Kampala district received an eviction notice of 28 days without any explanation from the government. Accompanied by armed soldiers, representatives of the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) turned up at Kawaala village and started placing a red “X” on many structures and explaining that they were earmarked for demolition.
The first foiled forced eviction by KCCA was hiding under the Public Health Act Cap 281 which states that in the event of contravention of any of the public health rules related to the erection of buildings, the local authority, without prejudice has the right to take proceedings for a fine in respect of the contravention and may by notice require the owner either to pull down or remove the works.
Upon Witness Radio – Uganda’s investigation of the intended eviction, it was discovered that KCCA was to use the targeted land for Lubigi drainage construction using the World Bank funds under the second phase of the Kampala Institutional and Infrastructural Development Project (KIIDP-2). In reality, without consultation and compensation, individuals within the authority were grabbing land from the urban poor to amass wealth.
On 23rd August 2022, NEMA and other government departments and ministries under the protection of the military and anti-riot police descended on gardens for families in Kawaala Zone II, a victim community of KIIDP 2, and cut down food crops and demolished houses belonging to over 100 families.
As hundreds pondered their next move, Mrs. Nabuduwa Lucia was weeping to recount the memories of her well-established home and garden that had been demolished by the NEMA officials. She said she had been given 4 hours to vacate the premises but she had lost where to take her family of 5.
Nabuduwa, 54, heard one of the officials communicating to his fellow evictor, “don’t waste your time demolishing that house, just burn it, and won’t take seconds to be destroyed” She was terrified.
She added that “I came from Mbale and settled on this land which was bought for me by one of my children with his hard-earned money. I have been living here for many years and have been able to feed my grandchildren. My house, sugarcanes, yams, banana plantation, eucalyptus trees, and mangoes were all destroyed.” she cried aloud.
Nabuduwa is not the only one. Mr. Ssemulyo Richard had seated next to his wife and children. He also lost everything during the evictions.
“I am here and my family of 10. I don’t have where to take them. I don’t have food or land. I also don’t have money to relocate to other places. Here is the place I have called home and lived for most of my years,” he said.
The community being evicted claimed that they were waiting for compensation from KIIDP-2 for the lost properties and land for drainage construction.
