Happy 2025 to you all! Please join Witness Radio again this year to protect thousands of local farmers who are losing their land to a tree plantation owned by a Taiwan investor.

By Witness Radio team.

Dear supporters and followers, we are deeply grateful for your continued support and commitment to our cause. Your involvement is crucial as we navigate the challenges ahead. Welcome back from the festive holidays.

At Witness Radio, breaking off for a holiday was not possible because we received devastating news about the sentencing of three community activists to Muyinayina prison before the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. Prisoners include, Byakatonda David, Kabuuka Levi, and Byamukama Yuda. Prisoners include, Byakatonda David, Kabuuka Levi, and Byamukama Yuda. Byamukama is the Kicucuulo Local Council One Chairperson. Their imprisonment is a grave injustice that we cannot ignore.

The situation in the Mubende district is urgent and cannot be overstated. The activists are currently held in Muyinayina prison, located in southwestern Uganda, and their immediate release is crucial.

A magistrate court in the Mubende district deemed the trio’s activities, which were aimed at defending their community’s land, criminal. This unjust ruling led to a 30-month jail sentence, a grave injustice that we cannot ignore.

We chose to sacrifice our holidays to visit the victim’s local farmers. We started with visiting prisoners at Muyinayina prison. However, upon reaching the prison, we were informed by officers at the prison’s quarter-guard that the prison authority had banned all prison visits in the country until mid-January 2025 due to the Christmas holiday. We engaged the Muyinayina prison administration about our visit as lawyers, and eventually, we were allowed in and met our clients. Despite being incarcerated, very calm, confident, and committed activists felt energized by our visit.

See brief facts from the fact-finding mission below;

1. The investor, with the help of Mubende district police and other private security firms, has seized over 2,590 hectares so far and continues to expand.
2. Mubende district police and investor’s workers continue to invade the homes of the community, defenders, activists, and leaders opposed to the illegal eviction in the wee hours and cause arbitrary arrests.
3. The investor is claiming land that hosts ten (10) villages occupied by thousands of smallholder farmers.
4. The investor’s name was established as Mr. Chang Shu-mu, commonly known as Martin Chang, and his wife was Anna Kyoheirwe.
5. Locals report cases of violence and destruction of properties against the investor to police but are not investigated as all perpetrators are enjoying their freedoms uninterrupted.
6. The trio claim they were unheard of before a prison sentence was passed.
7. Locals have raised their concerns with various government offices, including the office of the Resident District Commissioner (the president’s representative at Mubende district). However, no intervention has been made, and forced evictions continue unabated.

The situation is dire and requires immediate action. We urge you to join us in demanding a review of the case file, protection of the community’s land rights, and, most importantly, a thorough investigation into the conduct of the Mubende district police and investor’s workers. Those in power must be held accountable for their actions.