By witnessradio.org Team
Kiryandongo – Uganda, barely a week and few days into the second COVID-19 lockdown, multinationals have again taken the advantage of the situation and returned to the use of violence to dispossess poor communities of their lands and properties as four people including two land rights defenders have unlawfully been arrested by police guarding Great Seasons SMC Limited plantations.
Apart from being uniquely vulnerable to the health risk, no access to public transport, or courts of law posed by COVID-19 lockdown, multinationals are taking advantage of the situation to harass and intimidate villagers to grab their land.
In the first lockdown, which was announced on March, 18th, 2020, and eased later in the year, Witness Radio – Uganda documented more than 120 cases of criminalization of land rights defenders. Illegal arrests were made and persecutions fuelled by multinationals and their agents.
The second COVID-19 lockdown was first announced on June, 06th 2021, and later revised by the government on June, 18th 2021 is expected to last for the next 42 days. 234 deaths of Ugandans due to COVID-19 were recorded in one month of May 2021.
The four victims include land rights defenders; Baluma Sepriano, and Martin Munyansia, and the other two villagers identified as Byaruhanga Ronald aged 16, and Godfrey Munyansia aged 24, all residents of Jerusalem- Kisalanda, Kitwala sub-county in Kiryandongo district.
Both Baluma and Munyasia have pending police and court cases both at Kiryandongo central police station and Grade I (One) Magistrate court emanating from their land rights defense work. Munyansia and the other seven (7) land rights that are charged with threatening violence are set to appear in court on August 6th, 2021 for trial.
Eyewitnesses told Witness Radio – Uganda that the operation that led to the unlawful arrest of the four people was led by the Officer in Charge (OC), Kimogola police Post, Bagadya Steven, and Abula Felix, a police officer heading the Police Protection Unit attached to Great Seasons SMC. Others in the operation were five (5) private security guards attached to the company that was armed with spears, bows, and arrows.
Eyewitnesses further explained that the police and guards attacked the families from their gardens in Kisalanda, claiming that they had trespassed on company land.
“They came in a white land cruiser numbered UBF 417C owned by Great Seasons SMC. Handcuffed and arrested them from different localities. Baluma was beaten in the process. Police and guards were loudly saying that communities have no land and they should vacate it,” one of the locals said.
Great Season SMC is among the three multinational companies that have perpetrated violence and forcefully evicted natives off their land. The others are Kiryandongo sugar company and Agilis Partners limited.
It’s also important to note that so far two people, one is a Kiryandongo district lands officer and a land broker have been arrested and charged with three counts including fraud in connection to grabbing this very land from poor communities.
Since 2017 when the multinationals entered on this land, local communities have experienced unabated violence being perpetrated by companies’ agents (private security guards, and police officers attached to Kiryandongo district police) including, sexual and gender-based violence, illegal arrest and detention, torture, kidnap, demolition of houses, cutting down their food crops, and stealing their household properties among others.
The four are being held at Kimogola police post waiting to appear before the court.
waiting to appear before the court.
