MEDIA FOR CHANGE NETWORK

RDCs, Local Leaders Accused of Grabbing 70-Acre Ancestral Land

Published

9 months ago

October 16, 2025

RDCs, local leaders on spot over land grabbing, family appeals

Two Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) are on spot for allegedly depriving family members of their right to a 70.2 acre land in Kihanda Sub County, Kanungu District.

The RDCs, Hajj Shafik Sekandi and Amanyire Ambrose Mwesigye are accused of orchestrating and colluding with a section of family members and dealers to forcefully take over a mineral rich land.

It is alleged that the land in question at Ibarya Cell (Village) was previously owned by Mzee Blasio Bamuturaki and his wife Joy Evelyn Kyabasasaki who lived on it from the 1950s till their deaths in 1994 and 2004.

Family members say that upon the death of Kyabasasaki, Hajji Sekandi then RDC hatched a plan and colluded with a family member, Ms Anna Kyahamutima to force out other family members from the land.

It is alleged that before his transfer from Kanungu District, RDC Sekandi linked the land grab deal to high profile officials in government among them in State House and the Ministry of Water and Environment.

Hajj Sekandi, who has since been transferred to Kisoro District, was replaced by Mr Mwesigye, who is now leading the struggle to dispossess the family of their interest in their estate.

Ambrose Mwesige jointly with his deputy Rugajju, Giso, Barigye is accused of organizing the ongoing destruction of the family property to include a house and the plantation.

Christine Joy Tusiime, a family member revealed that the cartel was big to include LCI chairperson Ms Jessica Tindimwebwa, LCIII chairperson for Kihanda Sub County Mr Davis Asiimwe, LCII chairperson Lemegio Tumwesigye, Ambrose Barigye (Kanungu Giso) as well as deputy RDC Gad Rugajju.

“The dispute that forced me to flee my mother land, Uganda started in 2004 after the death of our mother, my sister (Anna) took possession of the family property and took control. The RDC then did a report and it is from then that they started targeting destroying the plantations on the land and bringing many people to cultivate on the land to defeat the interest of the rightful beneficiary,” says a tearfully speaking Tusiime.

In 2023, Tusiime fled the country and she is currently living in the United Kingdom for the safety of her life.

While recounting the mysterious deaths of her brothers and sisters on the land, Tusiime, 56, also revealed that grabbers used her sister on the frontline to torture her and the relatives. She alleges that RDC Mwesige with his deputy Rugajju and RDC Sekandi vainly colluded to arrest her from Mbarara Administrator General’s office while using police and military.

She has now appealed to President Museveni to intervene and cause investigation into RDC Mwesigye and others with the grabbers who are using a motor vehicle with ICRP, a project funded by the World Bank.

“I believe the World Bank cannot fund such a project marred with irregularities and violations,” says Tusiime accusing the Police in Kanungu of declining to register a case of malicious damage to property that was reported by her aide.

She added: “As I speak, RDC Mwesigye and his deputy Rugajju are making business on our land through charcoal burning, destroying the house and sadly when I contacted the police for help, they just kept quiet. I am humbly appealing to the President to intervene in this matter to rescue me from these notorious criminals pretending to work for the government.”

Tusiime alleges that in December 2023, RDC Mwesigye and policeman Zaviour Nishaba and Constable Daniel Byensi led a group of people that stole livestock and poultry on top of arresting and imprisoning her workers.

Accusing her sister of destroying the graveyards of their siblings, Tusiime states that the cartel advised her Kyahamutima to open up multiple frivolous criminal cases against her to frustrate her effort to acquire letters of administration on the land.

According to Tusiime, the criminal gang also fronted Rachael Tushabe, a police lady who is daughter to her sister to torment her with the numerous fake case files which prompted her February 2023 petition to security agencies but without any help.

She further revealed that the land in dispute was put on caveat she lodged in 2021 after her sister declined to attend meetings with the authorities.

“I suffered under the hands of the RDC, deputy RDC Rugajju and the Police because they organized arrests and tortured me so that I could lose interest but this is our ancestral land and all I appeal for is justice in all this,” says Tusiime adding that whatever is being done on their land must follow the law.

In May 2023, Tusiime petitioned the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) complaining against the fake accusations brought against her to defeat her interest in the ancestral land.

In February 2023, she also petitioned the Commandant of Flying Squad Unit seeking for intervention, track and trace a one Lt Simon from UPDF and policeman Walter Okello among others and bring them to book for attempted kidnap as well as life threatening acts to her life.

According to Tusiime, none of her complaints was ever responded too apart from receiving letters from State House land matters accusing her of intermeddling.

In a telephone contact, RDC Mwesigye laughed off advising this publication to go to the ground to do verification of the claims.

“But I think she (Tusiime) is a very dishonest person because she came to my office in 2023 alleging that her sister, Kyahamutima was chasing her from land. I went there and I found when they had a conflict on their late father’s land and they did not have a title for it. It was with their brother,” he said.

While denying involvement in the dispute, Mwesigye said that he held meetings on ground in their presence and I advised them to go to the administrator general’s office

According to Mwesigye, the land conflict aside, there is a government irrigation project where peoples’ land was valued under the Ministry of Water to construct a dam on their land.

He said there are a number of families affected and they were consulted in 2022 and their land was valued in 2023 and valuation reports were shared with them in 2023 including that woman and they consented and their family was paid Shs1 billion which was shared between Christine and her sister on account.

“Now the houses that have been demolished are those which are supposed to be removed for the project to begin and that woman was paid duly,” he added.

Mwesigye revealed: “They were paid on December 19, 2024 and they were supposed to leave immediately. We said since the project still has some time to start, let them still be enjoying their gardens and crops but some months back, we went where the project is supposed to begin this month, now the ministry people went and told everybody whose property had been paid for to leave and all other people left voluntarily.”

According to Mwesigye, Christine’s sister have a house there but she (Christine) does not and they also have an old ancestral house and also graveyards which were all affected but they were all paid for and now the two sisters are not there but they left a daughter called Allen who kept in the house, we went there and told her to leave because the project is supposed to begin.”

Mwesigye said that they held community meetings with all the affected families and told them to vacate because it is now the property of the government of Uganda.

“Being a government land because everything is documented, the ministry of water people went and requested for security and demolished their house to take over and begin work genuinely. Money was paid to all those people’s accounts and valuation reports were shared and all documents are available with correspondences,” said Mwesigye adding that he can stand to defend it.

When contacted, Rugajju denied any involvement saying he did not handle anything related to land in Kihanda.

“For me, my issue is mainly Kihihi and borderline and my concentration and task is on security matters to do with national parks, then border. That is where I am involved. I am very certain that it is mistaken identity,” he said.

Source: pressug.com

MEDIA FOR CHANGE NETWORK

Ugandan farmers take TotalEnergies’ pipeline to UK court

Published

9 hours ago

July 9, 2026

witnessradio.org

Police apprehend a Ugandan activist during a protest against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) plans in Kampala, Uganda, on 15 September, 2023. © Reuters

Four Ugandan farmers filed a case against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) at the UK’s High Court on Tuesday, seeking to have Ugandan constitutional, environmental and climate law applied to EACOP Ltd, the UK-registered company financing the project

Rights NGO Avaaz, which is supporting the case, has called it “first-of-its-kind” litigation against the $5.6 billion project, led by French energy giant TotalEnergies, which holds the majority stake.

Due to begin operating in 2027, EACOP would become the world’s longest heated pipeline, running 1,443km (897 miles) from Uganda’s oilfields near Lake Albert to the Tanzanian coastal port of Tanga.

The claim was filed before the pipeline starts operating and asks the court to enforce Uganda’s legal protections against a company incorporated in England and Wales.

EACOP has already faced several lawsuits in France, where a Paris court ruled last week that TotalEnergies was liable for emissions generated by its clients, a decision hailed as a landmark for climate law.

A ‘global test case’

The claimants argue the project would affect more than 100,000 people through land acquisition, and that it crosses critical freshwater systems and protected habitats.

“The case seeks remedies that could go to the heart of the project’s commercial viability, including an injunction to stop oil being transported through the pipeline,” Avaaz said in a statement earlier this year.

The NGO said it believes this is the first time Ugandan environmental law has been brought before a foreign court, describing EACOP as a “global test case for whether new fossil fuel megaprojects can still be forced through despite mounting legal, financial, climate and community opposition.”

Claimants say a successful ruling could ultimately prevent the pipeline from becoming operational.

Company denies harm

TotalEnergies maintains that “strict measures have been taken to avoid, mitigate and offset” the project’s environmental impact, pointing to efforts to restore forest and wetland areas and boost biodiversity nearby.

Ugandan opponents of the pipeline, meanwhile, have told local media they have faced intimidation and arrest by police in the area, where the project is seen as a political priority.

The UK claim alleges that the pipeline violates Uganda’s constitution and breaches the country’s environmental and climate legislation.

(with newswires)

Source: rfi.fr

MEDIA FOR CHANGE NETWORK

Lawyers Move to Court to Stop New Luxury Tourism Projects in Maasai Mara

Published

1 day ago

July 8, 2026

witnessradio.org

A coalition of regional legal and environmental organisations has moved to court seeking to halt the approval and development of new luxury tourism facilities in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, arguing that the projects threaten one of the world’s most important wildlife ecosystems.

The petition, filed before the Environment and Land Court, seeks orders stopping further construction of high-end tourist accommodation within the reserve pending the determination of the case.

Those behind the petition include East Africa Law Society, Natural Justice, JustAct and Africa Centre for Peace and Human Rights, who have sued several government agencies and private investors involved in the developments.

Among the respondents are Marriott International, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Minor Hotels, National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the Narok County Government.

Narok Governor Patrick Ole Ntutu and the Maasai Mara National Reserve date in Narok County.

Photo| County Government of Narok / Maasai Mara National Reserve.

The petitioners contend that approvals granted for the tourism developments violated constitutional and environmental safeguards, arguing that the projects were allowed within ecologically sensitive areas meant primarily for wildlife conservation.

Court documents further claim that the developments sit close to critical wildlife habitats and migration routes linking the Maasai Mara ecosystem with Serengeti National Park.

This, according to them, potentially disrupts the annual wildebeest migration that attracts thousands of tourists every year.

They have asked the court to certify the matter as one raising substantial constitutional questions and refer it to the Chief Justice for the appointment of a five-judge bench to hear the case.

The latest legal challenge comes months after the planned opening of the luxury Ritz-Carlton safari camp sparked public debate, with conservationists raising concerns that the facility could interfere with wildlife movement near the Sand River.

At the time, the Kenya Wildlife Service dismissed claims circulating online that the camp had blocked the wildebeest migration, describing videos shared on social media as misleading.

“The Ritz-Carlton safari camp is situated within a designated tourism investment low-use zone, as provided for in the Maasai Mara National Reserve Management Plan, 2023-2032,” KWS said at the time.

The agency also maintained that camps established along the Mara, Sand and Talek rivers have historically coexisted with wildlife movements without obstructing migration.

Source: kenyans.co.ke

MEDIA FOR CHANGE NETWORK

More than 17,000 people in the Philippines face eviction from their ancestral land for a multimillion-dollar energy project.

Published

4 days ago

July 6, 2026

witnessradio.org

By Witness Radio Team,

In the Visayas and Mindanao regions, in the Iloilo municipality on Panay Island in the central Philippines, thousands of Indigenous Tumandok people face forced displacement as a major energy project advances through their ancestral territories.

The Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project, a state-backed dam and hydropower initiative, has triggered fears of forced evictions affecting more than 17,000 people and has already submerged ancestral land belonging to Indigenous communities.

The Tumandok have relied on the river basin as burial grounds, fishing sites supporting their livelihoods, and sacred landscapes preserved through oral history and cultural tradition for decades.

In 2012, the Korean Export-Import Bank provided a USD 260 million loan to the Philippine government for a multi-purpose project on the Jalaur River. Authorities present the project as a long-term solution for irrigation, flood control, and hydropower generation, designed to benefit agricultural production across thousands of hectares of farmland. However, host communities say the development has come at a high human cost.

The dam project, which began in the 1960s, entered a new construction phase in 2012, triggering new waves of human rights violations, from attacks and killings to arrests, and is expected to reach full completion in 2027.

As construction progresses, Indigenous ancestral domains within the project-affected watershed—covering approximately 16,780 hectares in the Calinog component—are being impacted by the Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project Stage II. Community leaders say this is displacing Indigenous families from their homes amid concerns over inadequate consultation and potential violations of Indigenous land rights and free, prior, and informed consent standards.

Article 19 of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples requires states to consult and cooperate in good faith with the Indigenous peoples concerned, through their own representative institutions, to obtain their free, prior, and informed consent before adopting and implementing legislative or administrative measures that may affect them.

Article 32(b) of the same declaration urges states to make consent the objective of consultation before any projects that affect Indigenous peoples’ rights to land, territory, and resources, including mining and other uses or exploitations of resources.

John Ian Alecianga, coordinator of the Jalaur River People’s Movement, says opposition to the project has drawn allegations of intimidation, killings, arrests, and a heavy security presence in affected communities.

“Mobilizing these indigenous communities to fight for their rights has come at a cost. Indigenous leaders and activists have been subjected to surveillance, harassment, and red-tagging due to their resistance to the dam,” John said in an exclusive interview with our team.

According to John, tensions escalated in December 2020 when a police attack in Tumandok communities killed at least nine Indigenous leaders and elders and led to the arrest of 16 others.

“The military was deployed, human rights were violated, many elders were killed, and others were arrested, escalating into what we call a massacre. A fake search warrant was used in a staged operation to enter the houses of the Tumandok leaders. This is how much the government has ignored the rights of the indigenous peoples from the project conception until the project implementation,” he said. “The event remains one of the most traumatic moments in the ongoing conflict around the project,” John added.

Despite pressure, Indigenous communities continue to resist eviction through local and international advocacy networks, calling for justice for those killed in 2020, recognition of their land rights, and immediate protection from further displacement.

“The people are resisting because land is their life. Without it, there will be no community. There will be no identity,” he said.

The Jalaur River People’s Movement also seeks accountability through international mechanisms, including engagement with South Korean institutions linked to project financing.

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