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WITNESS RADIO MILESTONES

Heads of Cattle Used to Evict Community Members Off Their Land

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By witnessradio.org team

Imagine investing all your energies and scarce resources at your disposal in developing the piece of land through planting gardens of food crops for months and get destroyed in less than an hour by 200 heads of cattle owned by one moneyed man.

Eria Muchunguzi (30), a resident of Kalungi village, Buswabera parish, Kitenga Sub-county in Mubende district didn’t only lose his gardens of Cassava, Maize, sweet potatoes, and beans, that were about to be harvested such that he could win a bread for his family members, but he was also brutally beaten up by stick-wielding men.

Muchunguzi, now surviving on the biblical Psalm 41:2 verse from his sickbed in Mubende Referral Hospital because he was pushed into living miserable life, narrated to witnessradio.org that on the fateful day, he met over 200 heads of cattle belonging to Peter Muhanguzi, a man who claims ownership of vast 1,241-Hectare piece of land.

What he did, Muchunguzi said, got all those heads of cattle, tied them near his home and went to call Sam Rwampororo, the area Chairperson, LC1 for intervention. In return, the chairperson came with the land claimant who had been accompanied by three men; only identified as Lujeje, Baguma and Naboth.

It’s these men that assaulted Muchunguzi, before untying the cows to go back to the victim’s 4.5-acre garden to completely finish it.

Now complaining of multiple pains ranging from headache, pain in the eyes, stomach pain, and chest-pain, Muchunguzi counts huge losses in the destroyed food-crops.

Though he’s going through much physical pains, Muchunguzi is undergoing psychological torture especially after imagining the magnitude of monetary loss brought about by the rich man’s cows.

As we speak now, his children and other dependants don’t have any hope of going back to school again in the near future because their father’s garden, the only hope he had to earn money from was destroyed.

DSC_1127On a good yield, Muchunguzi could harvest 56 bags of maize, 68 bags of beans from his 4.5-acre gardens.

Apparently, one kilogram of maize goes for Shs 1500 and when you multiply it by one bag that is measuring 150 kilograms, it will come to Shs 225,000. Remember he was expecting to harvest 56 bags of maize, bringing his loss on maize alone to Shs 12,600,000.

On beans, he could sell one kilogram of beans Shs 2300, multiplied by a bag of 160 kilograms, he could earn Shs 368,000 again multiply it by the expected 68 bags. On beans, the ailing Muchunguzi would earn Shs 25,024,000.

So, his loss on just beans and maize, is as much as Shs 37.6m, but remember, the farmer had also included both cassava and sweet potatoes which he would be at liberty either to sell part to complement his earnings, or consume with his family.

To make matters, worse, Muchunguzi who owns 10 acres of land on the disputed land situated on Plot 3 Block 389 Buhongo Estate Buweekula Mubende, is not the only person being tormented by the said landlord who is adopting a new method of deploying heads of cattle, but the entire community of over 1,000 residents risks being forcibly pushed off their land.

Other methods commonly being applied by people seeking vast tracts of land in Mubende District have been using excessive force and physical slashing and cutting of residents’ food crops with the assistance of armed people cladding police uniforms and sometimes, army uniforms.

 

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WITNESS RADIO MILESTONES

Uganda: Land-grab victim communities will join counterparts in commemorating the 2024 International Day of Struggle Against Industrial Plantations.

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By Witness Radio team.

On September 21, 2024, land-grabs communities under their group, the Informal Alliance for communities affected by irresponsible land-based investments in Uganda for the first will join fellow victims in commemorating the International Day of Struggle Against Industrial Plantations, highlighting the growing threat posed by large-scale monoculture plantations.

These industrial plantations have led to the forced eviction of millions of people across Uganda, displacing indigenous communities and stripping them of their land rights and livelihoods. Driven by multinational companies and government-backed investors, with the support of government and private security entities, these evictions prioritize profits over people.

Among the many Ugandan communities still suffering the devastating impact of monoculture plantations are over 30,000 people who were violently displaced from the Namwasa and Luwunga forest reserves between 2006 and 2010 to make way for the New Forests Company’s pine and eucalyptus plantations. In addition, thousands of local and indigenous communities were illegally evicted to make way for palm oil plantations in Kalangala district. Nearly 4,000 people had their land grabbed by the Formosa tree planting company in the Mubende district, and over 35,000 were displaced in Kiryandongo to make way for industrial agriculture to grow maize, soybean, and sugarcane plantations, among others. These and other affected communities united and formed the Informal Alliance for Victims affected by irresponsible land-based investments to defend their rights in early 2019.

The International Day of Struggle Against Industrial Plantations was first celebrated on September 21, 2004, during a community network meeting fighting against industrial tree plantations in Brazil. Since then, it has become a day when organizations, communities, and movements worldwide come together to celebrate resistance and raise their voices, demanding an end to the relentless expansion of industrial tree plantations.

In Uganda, on Saturday, September 21, the 2024 commemoration will start with a radio program in a local dilect (Luganda) purposely to highlight weird experiences faced by communities displaced by large-scale monoculture plantations, struggles for justice, and holding companies and financiers accountable. A one-hour radio program starting at 10 a.m. EAT will feature leaders of the loose alliance. Listen to the radio program on Witness Radio platforms on the website www.witnessradio.org or download the Witness Radio App on playstore.

Later, land-grab victims in Uganda will join their colleagues from Africa and other countries around the globe in a webinar meeting aimed at fostering organizations’ and rural communities’ connection across member countries and communities to build confidence, share experiences, strengthen our campaign to reignite hopes and forge a bond of understanding between the Informal Alliance and victim communities shattered by destructive plantations as well as deterring future plantations expansion.

The Webinar will start at 3PM EAT and will be aired live on Witness Radio platforms on the website www.witnessradio.org or download the Witness Radio App on playstore.

Please note: Both the radio show and Webinar will be live on Witness Radio on www.witnessradio.org or download the witness radio app on playstore to listen live.

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WITNESS RADIO MILESTONES

Uganda: CSOs claim Agilis Partners forcibly evicting local communities to pave way for agribusiness; company did not respond

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Witness Radio and its partners have alleged that thousands of people from local and Indigenous communities have been forcefully evicted from their land to make way for Agilis Partners Limited’s large-scale farming operations, in violation of international human rights law.

They have raised concerns about severe human rights abuses including forced evictions and lack of prompt, fair, and adequate compensation; violations of Indigenous peoples’ right to free, prior, and informed consent; abduction, arrest, torture, and judicial harassment of human rights defenders, and alleged sexual violence against women and girls, as well as other negative social and environmental impacts.

Witness Radio and its partners representing PAPs have written to Agilis Partners on several occasions seeking a dialogue between the company and people who have been harmed however, the company has not responded to their communications.

In a letter to Agilis Partners in June 2024, 36 civil society organizations called on Agilis Partners and its financial backers to take immediate action to stop the human rights abuses and harassment committed against community members, engage in dialogue with the communities, and restore the lands to the people that have been displaced.

We invited Agilis Partners to respond to the letter, the company did not respond.

Company Responses

Agilis Partners. No Response.

Source: business-humanrights.org

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DEFENDING LAND AND ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS

Breaking: Witness Radio and Partners to Launch Human Rights Monitoring, Documentation, and Advocacy Project Tomorrow.

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By Witness Radio Team.

Witness Radio, in collaboration with Dan Church Aid (DCA) and the National Coalition for Human Rights Defenders (NCHRD), is set to launch the Monitoring, Documentation, and Advocacy for Human Rights in Uganda (MDA-HRU) project tomorrow, 22nd February 2024, at Kabalega Resort Hotel in Hoima District.

The project, funded by the European Union, aims to promote the protection and respect for human rights, and enable access to remedy where violations occur especially in the Mid-Western and Karamoja sub-regions where private sector actors are increasingly involved in land-based investments (LBIs) through improved documentation, and evidence-based advocacy.

The three-year project, which commenced in October 2023, focuses its activities in the Mid-Western sub-region, covering Bulisa, Hoima, Masindi, Kiryandongo, Kikuube, Kagadi, Kibale, and Mubende districts, and Karamoja sub-region, covering Moroto, Napak, Nakapiripirit, Amudat, Nabilatuk, Abim, Kaabong, Kotido, and Karenga districts.

The project targets individuals and groups at high risk of human rights violations, including Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) and Land and Environmental Defenders (LEDs). It also engages government duty bearers such as policymakers and implementers in relevant ministries and local governments, recognizing their crucial role in securing land and environmental rights. Additionally, the project involves officials from institutional duty bearers including the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC), Equal Opportunities Commission, and courts, among others.

Representatives from the international community, faith leaders, and business actors are also included in the project’s scope, particularly those involved in land-based investments (LBIs) impacting the environment.

The project was initially launched in Moroto for the Karamoja region on the 19th of this month with the leadership of the National Coalition for Human Rights Defenders (NCHRD).

According to the project implementors,  the action is organized into four activity packages aimed at; enhancing the capacity and skills of Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) and Land and Environmental Defenders (LEDs) in monitoring, documentation, reporting (MDR), and protection, establishing and reinforcing reporting and documentation mechanisms for advocacy and demand for corporate and government accountability;  providing response and support to HRDs and marginalized communities; and lastly facilitating collaboration and multi-stakeholder engagements that link local and national issues to national and international frameworks and spaces.

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