LOCKDOWN ILLEGAL EVICTION: Fresh waves of unabated acts of forced eviction violence have hit Kiryandongo once again…

Mr. Baluma Sipiriano’s house that was burnt by the workers of Great Seasons SMC in Kiryandongo district.

By witnessradio.org Team

With only a few weeks of the second COVID 19 lockdown in Uganda, multinational companies have taken the advantage of the situation to brutalize and use other violent methods to force poor communities off their land in the Kiryandongo district.

Ever since Uganda went into a total lockdown on June 6th, 2021, agents of multinationals under the protection of area police, the army, and private security guards are burning people’s houses, arbitrarily arresting community land rights defenders, attack and beat up community leaders, and, have now hired out part of the grabbed land to pastoralists outside Kiryandongo district to purposely graze animals into poor communities’ gardens among other acts of violence.

The second lockdown was a result of a new surge of COVID causing outrageous infections and deaths. Currently, Uganda has 92,490 Coronavirus Cases and 2,557 deaths.

Multinationals with the support from security organs and operatives deployed to guard the grabbed land are likely not to stop the forced eviction despite this year’s ministerial directive halting further evictions that were issued on July 18th, 2021 by the lands minister, Mrs. Judith Nabakooba Nalule.

Since 2017, three multinationals have orchestrated violence to over 35000 inhabitants in the Kiryandongo district to give way to large-scale agribusiness projects.

The Multinationals include; the Dubai domiciled Great Season SMC Limited, Cayman Islands domiciled Agilis Partners Limited, and Mauritius domiciled Kiryandongo Sugar Limited.

Since that period, the area has witnessed various forms of violence ranging from rape, defilement, kidnap, torture, intimidation, illegal detention, imprisonment to the demolition of schools, worship centers, and homes, among others.

Early this month, at 8:00 AM local time, a family of Baluma Sipiriano was attacked by three armed agents allegedly part of Great Season SMC Limited and torched one of his houses before running away. Baluma is a community land rights defender who has been charged and persecuted on trumped-up charges.

“I was not at my home by the time of the attack. But three of my children, who were at home told me that armed with machetes, spears, bows, and arrows, company workers with the protection from armed police carried out the attack. One of them pulled out a matchbox and set my house on fire and all property was reduced to ashes”.  Baluma narrated.

According to residents, more than 10 houses have been burnt in the area but the police are silent and no intervention has been made.

Whereas Mr. Baluma reported the incident to the area police in Kimogola, police have not taken any against the perpetrators.

Another case of violence involves a 78-year-old Mr. Kajasiyo David. He was attached by cattle keepers who hired part of the grabbed land from companies and was severely beaten.

Mr. Kajasiyo David a small holder farmer showing his forearm that was fractured during a scuffle with herders

A medical report seen by Witness Radio -Uganda confirms that the old man’s left hand got a fracture.

“Three (3) herdsmen came and grazed their cattle in my small garden left. When I approached and requested them not to destroy my food crops, they responded by beating me until I became unconscious” Narrated the old man.

According to residents, multinationals are using fly-grazing as a form of eviction with more than 1000 heads of cattle.

“These cattle keepers have abandoned grazing spaces to target gardens and destroy our food crops, we are being pushed into extreme hunger and poverty while the multinationals reap huge profits from our own country,” Said Benon Baryeija, one of the community leaders.