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Land advocates and defenders are meeting in Kampala to discuss ways to strengthen women’s participation in land governance.

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By Witness Radio team.

Civil society groups working on land-related issues and women land rights defenders from different communities in Uganda are meeting in Kampala to devise ways to strengthen women’s participation and decision-making in land governance.

Women generally are not meaningfully involved in land governance, their interests have been ignored, and their rights to the land and resources have been weakened or lost.

Women’s meaningful participation goes beyond mere presence at a meeting, and many of them who happen to speak out about land or environmental injustices in their communities are often threatened or attacked.

A reference case (s).

Namuganza Esther has been living on her land for more than a decade. However, on June 18th, 2024, hell broke loose when six workers of a Multinational Company owned by two American investors in the Kiryandongo district sided with her husband and evicted her from her land without any court order or clearance from the Resident District Commissioners (RDC) office.

During the eviction, her two houses were demolished under the watch of company officials guarded by two Saracen guards, a private security company. The multinational company claimed that she no longer had rights to the land.

Esther’s family of eleven (11) people was fully enjoying ownership of their sixty (60) acres of land, but Agilis Company has now grabbed 53 acres of them leaving her family with 7 acres. On the fateful day, the company wanted to fully drive her from her land to assume full control of the entire piece of land.

According to Namuganza, the company claimed that it had sought clearance for the eviction from her husband, but this did not deter her from resisting the forceful eviction.

She said in an interview with Witness Radio, “Whatever they say they dealt with William (my husband) is their concern because I was not involved and never given a chance to be heard as a woman in a family. I am resisting the land eviction. Even William hid this information of colluding with the company from me. Many women have lost their livelihoods, families got separated, and family land has been grabbed at gunpoint in Kiryandongo district.”

Another case took place in Mubende district, where wounds caused by the New Forests Company (NFC) through a forceful land eviction to over 10,000 residents of Kanamire, Kyamukasa, Kigumya, Kyato, Kisita, Mpologoma, and Bulagano villages in 2010 have never healed.

According to a woman land rights defender, Ms. Sarah Ahowurinze, the company forcefully and violently evicted them from 14844.679 hectares of their land without consultation, compensation, or resettlement.

“Many of us, (women), young girls, youth, and men, continue to suffer. We have struggled to live with our families since 2010, and providing for them is a challenge since our source of livelihood was the land from which we were evicted. People are dying, and we have nowhere to bury them. Many young girls have gotten pregnant since they stopped school,” she revealed in an interview with Witness Radio.

According to Sarah, women continue to bear the brunt as many families have been torn apart. “The evictions have not only made us poverty-stricken but also separated many families. Men are abandoning their families because they can’t afford to provide for them,” Sarah added.

Experts in land matters have revealed that women’s access to land justice remains a critical issue due to the intricate and often discriminatory legal landscape adding that, the presence of progressive laws and policies intended to safeguard women’s land rights, implementation, and enforcement is hindered by cultural norms, inadequate legal knowledge, and systemic challenges.

In response, Witness Radio, the National Land Coalition (NLC-UG) in collaboration with Stand for Her Land Campaign (S4HL) are organizing a national dialogue on July 30th, 2024 themed “Role of Land rights defenders in advancing women’s access to land justice” at Hotel Africana focusing on reinforcing grassroots women’s participation, amplifying their voices and fostering agency in matters related to land justice and increasing awareness on policy and legal framework on women land rights by rights holders among others.

The event will feature a maximum of 40 participants, including representatives from various ministries, civil society organizations, land rights defenders, media, and other stakeholders to engage openly, examine social and cultural issues, build consensus to advancing women’s land rights, in management of natural resources, and address the challenges women face in accessing land justice in Uganda.

The dialogue will also highlight the gains achieved through complementary interventions on land management and administration by multiple stakeholders in Uganda and identify opportunities for synergies among government departments/ministries, media, research institutions, and development partners or/and civil society organizations CSOs working on land rights to strengthen collaborations and partnerships and to explore how Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) can drive change in the ongoing transfer of rights and interests on land.

Witness Radio and members of the National Land Coalition in UG, through their experience and consultations, developed issue briefs and undertook studies highlighting some of the concerns underpinning women’s disproportional effect of illegal land evictions from the affected communities in the Midwestern, Central, and Eastern, Northern, and Karamoja sub-regions of Uganda.

According to the organizers, the dialogue will be informed by the local experiences and lessons in the issue briefs and study findings to influence national-level actions.

The organizers also mentioned that there will be the development of a collaborative action plan and joint advocacy engagements to address identified challenges and promote women’s land rights and a strengthened partnership between NLC-UG members, other organizations, and key government and private sector stakeholders.

Stay tuned to our radio platform via our site or download the radio app to listen live.

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Witness Radio petitions chief prosecutor: Want 34 community land rights defenders and activists released from prison.

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By Witness Radio team.

In the Hoima District, Western Uganda, an urgent and immediate action is crucial to halt an ongoing land grab. The work of community land rights defenders, activists, and local leaders has unfortunately been criminalized, with thirty-four (34) people from Rwobunyonyi, Kirindasojo, and Kihohoro villages falsely accused and sent to different prisons in the Hoima district.

Criminal files No. CRB 330-2022 has Busobozi Patrick, Kaija Phillip Osborn, Mbabazi Isaya, Wembabazi Denis, Tumusiime David, and Abitegeka David charged with aggravated robbery, while the CRB 84-2023 file has Magezi Lawrence, Kaahwa Nelson Komugisa Junior, Mugenyi Vincent, and others on murder charges. The files have been established to gang the work of community defenders and activists.

According to sections 189 and 286 (2) of the Penal Code Act cap 120, both offenses carry the death penalty upon conviction.

As observed above, community land rights defenders, activists, and local leaders have been targeted since 2022. The number of targeted defenders keeps on growing. Sadly, those who have been remanded to prison are still waiting for their cases to be tried, which is tantamount to judicial harassment and persecution.

Witness Radio findings indicate that one Fred Kato Mugumba allegedly orchestrated the land grab. He is backed by officials from Hoima police, Hoima district Office of Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP), and judicial staff. Mugambe and his accomplices aim to evict over 500 small-scale farming families from their ancestral land.

If the land grab is successful, the community will suffer a devastating loss of 800 hectares of land used for food cultivation. This loss will lead to children dropping out of school, families breaking apart due to lack of resources, and a significant increase in food insecurity, hunger, poverty, and illiteracy levels in Uganda.

The affected communities have a deep-rooted connection to the land, having lived on it for over 50 years without disruption. The ongoing persecution by Mugamba and his agents is, therefore, particularly shocking and unjust.

The same land almost ended the life of Junior Lands Minister Sam Mayanja, who was targeted with gunshots when he visited the contested land on August 24, 2023, to protect land grab victims. The current situation highlights the urgent need for intervention from a powerful office.

Witness Radio has, among other interventions, petitioned the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) and urged the Chief Prosecutor’s office to call the file from Hoima High Court.

The office of the DPP is a constitutional body mandated to direct police to investigate any information of a criminal nature, institute criminal proceedings against any person or authority in any court other than a court-martial, take over and continue any criminal proceedings instituted by any person or authority, and discontinue at any stage before judgment any criminal proceedings.

Uganda is experiencing an influx of land-based investments, which have fueled land-grabbing tendencies and criminalization of community land rights and environmental defenders and activists’ work.

In the petition, Witness Radio alleges that Fred Kato Mugamba fabricated these charges in collusion with John Angwadya, a former local council member and chairperson of one of the targeted villages, Rwabunyonyi, as part of a strategy to facilitate the unlawful eviction of the community from their land.

“It is deeply concerning that the accused remain in protracted detention despite the constitutional guarantee of a fair and speedy trial and right to liberty. This is a clear violation of defenders’ fundamental rights and raises serious concerns about the criminal justice system’s integrity in this matter. The prolonged delay in their trial and the apparent ulterior motive behind the charges necessitate immediate intervention to prevent the miscarriage of justice,” the petition reads in part.

Despite multiple attempts by the community to engage various stakeholders, including Hoima’s district leadership, the Hoima District Police, the State House Land Protection Unit, and the State Minister for Lands, Dr. Sam Mayanja, their efforts have been futile. Instead of finding justice, those who resist are met with criminal charges and continued evictions, leaving many families landless and helpless.

“The efforts of our clients and community individuals engaging the different offices are viewed as a threat to the evictors, hence fabricating different charges against the accused persons to pave the way for the land grabbers to occupy the land in the absence of the accused persons. It is evident that the pending charges of murder and aggravated robbery are being made as a tool to harass and deprive our clients and family members,” the petition further reads.

In the petition to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Witness Radio has called for an urgent review of the circumstances surrounding the arrests and prosecutions of the accused. Witness Radio is requesting the issuance of a Nolle Prosequi to quash the charges and the immediate release of the prisoners.

The organization also demands that the case be expedited to prevent further unwarranted deprivation of liberty and calls for an independent investigation into any potential abuses within the criminal justice system.

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The joint final review of the National Land Policy 2013, a significant and collaborative effort between the government and Civil society organizations, is underway.

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By Witness Radio team.

Under the leadership of the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development (MLHUD), and in partnership with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) led by Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM), a crucial final review of the National Land Policy (NLP) 2013 is taking place in Kampala.

The Consultative event is a unique and empowering opportunity for all land actors to actively contribute to shaping Uganda’s land governance framework. It seeks to engage CSOs in shaping reforms in the much-awaited National Land Policy, addressing pressing land-related concerns such as land grabbing, promoting equity in land access, and enhancing strategies for sustainable land management.

The land ministry is expected to present a revised 2024 draft of the basis for discussion and obtaining valuable input from land actors and PELUM Uganda members to boost the policy framework.

Uganda first adopted the National Land Policy in 2013 to ensure the efficient, equitable, and optimal utilization of land and land-based resources for national development. Grounded in principles drawn from the 1995 Constitution and other macro-policy frameworks such as Uganda Vision 2040 and the National Development Plan (NDP), the NLP has served as a comprehensive guideline for Uganda’s land ownership and management.

With a decade of implementation behind it, the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development is now reviewing the policy to integrate emerging trends and challenges. This review is crucial as it will ensure the policy’s relevance in the evolving land governance landscape, directly impacting your daily lives. The consultation process underscores the government’s unwavering commitment to inclusive decision-making by involving civil society and key stakeholders in policy formulation, ensuring everyone’s voice is heard and valued.

The event will be broadcast live on Witness Radio. To listen live, download the Witness Radio App from the Play Store or visit our website, www.witnessradio.org.

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Businesses, banks and activists resist EC plans to strip back human rights legislation

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Today the European Commission introduced their ‘Omnibus simplification package’ to amend key laws of the EU Green Deal, including CSDDD, CSRD and Taxonomy. The package proposes significant changes, including the removal of civil liability provisions in the CSDDD and removing 80% of companies from scope in the CSRD.

The earlier announcement from the European Commission as well as the leaked draft to reform recently-agreed EU laws such as the CSDDD has already come under attack from businesses, expertsinvestors and activists alike.

The UN Global Compact and companies including Unilever, Vattenfall and Nestlé have also expressed their concern. Nestlé Europe’s Bart Vandewaetere said that it had “been reporting on [environmental impact and human rights issues in the supply chain] ourselves for years. European regulations mean that more companies have to start doing that. That creates a level playing field and we welcome that.”

Former president of Ireland Mary Robinson added: “Von der Leyen’s new Commission’s attempt to eviscerate these sustainability laws must not be agreed by the European Parliament and by the member states.”

The European Banking Federation warned that weakening the CSRD could create challenges for banks, echoing concerns from more than 160 investors who cautioned that the Omnibus package could harm investment and increase legal uncertainty.

CSOs such as the European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ)WWF and the Clean Clothes Campaign have also sharply criticised the proposal. The ECCJ writes the proposal is “not simplification, but full-scale deregulation designed to dismantle corporate accountability”.

Workers’ organisations and trade unions from garment-producing countries across Asia, Europe and Latin America also opposed the ‘Omnibus’ this week, highlighting the risk the proposal will “exclude most supply chain workers” including 49 million home workers.

Source: Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

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