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WITNESS RADIO MILESTONES

We won’t leave Queen Elizabeth park land, Rukungiri locals insist

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RUKUNGIRI. Residents of Kikarara Parish in Bwambara Sub-county have asked government to reverse a plan to evict them from a piece of land, which is claimed to be part of Queen Elizabeth National Park in Rukungiri District.
The more than 8,000 residents live in nine villages of Garuka, Nyakatemba A, Nyakatembe B, Nyabugando, Kahimbi, Rwesigiro, Nyakabungo B, Nyakabungo A and Kafunjo in Ishasha Sector.

They are mainly of Banyabutumbi tribe and claim the place is their ancestral land. The other inhabitants are Bakiga, who claim to have been resettled there in 1940s from Kabale by the government.
The residents say the area was erroneously gazetted for wildlife protection by government in 1995.
On May 28, President Museveni said government would compensate the affected residents.

“I shall sit with your leaders and we dialogue on the possible ways to compensate people whose land was turned into a national park…..,” he said while campaigning for Ms Winifred Masiko in Bwambara during the Rukungiri Woman MP by-election.
Mr Charles Tukamusherura, the Kikarara Parish chairperson, says residents have been living in fear of being evicted for long adding that they will not yield to any attempts to take them from the place they call home.

“We have lived here for all our lives, our great grandfathers were buried here and no one knows how we came to live in this area. The government wants us out of this land, our land? They want to give it to animals. Everyone who has been coming here since 1996 promises us an answer but we have got none. We still shall be waiting but we shall not accept anyone who says we leave,” Mr Tukamusherura says.

He adds that residents have faced several injustices, including animals feeding on their crops, their domestic animals being eaten by wild animals and at times, and some residents also being killed by animals. When they tell government, they are reminded that they live inside the NP.
“Because we have been waiting for an answer, we have been patient, we have endured a lot, and our people have been killed and tortured. Our crops, our goats and our cows are feeds for park animals and when we complain, government tells us we are living in a place for animals, the park. Who makes the park and when did animals become more important than people to that extent?” he further says.
Mbwa Tract in the Bwindi Impenetrable NP, the Upper Madi area in the Murchison Falls NP, and part of the Mount Elgon NP are other wild life protection areas with contested boundaries.

Kikarara Parish has a government aided (Universal Primary Education) school with at least 800 pupils and a government health centre II.
“We don’t even know the essence of voting, here we have been supporting this government to the extent of voting openly for NRM, but they want us to go away from our land. Every time you want to plant crops such as coffee you fear because you feel like they are going to come and cut it, we live in poverty because of this,” says Mr Evaristo Tushabe, a resident of Garuka.
The Bwambara Sub-county chairperson, Mr Enock Turyamuhabwa, says the sub county and district leadership have made several attempts to have the area degazetted by Parliament.

“We have made teams to follow up this issue and the residents have been hopeful. When the President visited during the recent campaigns, everyone was waiting for him to say this place shall be degazetted,” Mr Turyamuhabwa says.
The Rukungiri District chairperson, Mr Andrewson Charles Katebire, says the area has failed to develop due to the uncertainties.
“People would wish to come and establish tourist camps but they cannot, others want to have land titles to construct permanent structures.

This is also a place where oil was discovered and it’s on people’s land but they fear they may not be compensated when drilling starts,” says Mr Katebire.
Rujumbura MP Mr Fred Turyamuhweza says he has been engaging the central government over the issue, and wanted residents to go to the Justice Catherine Bamugemereire-led land probe and present their case.

Voices

“We have lived here for all our lives, our great grandfathers were buried here and no one knows how we came to live in this area. The government wants us out of this land, our land? They want to give it to animals,” Charles Tukamusherura, Kikarara Parish chairperson.

“The current land law allows residents to own land after living there for 12 years. Most people came to the land in 1947 while others lived there even before. This makes this land legally theirs. I don’t know what time it will take but no one should be afraid that government shall evict them,” Fred Turyamuhweza, Rujumbura MP.

“The challenge we have is people wanting to undertake activities in protected areas that are not permissible. Our role is to protect and ensure no one encroaches it. But I cannot say we have had a poor relationship with this community,” Bashir Hangi, Uganda Wildlife Authority spokesman.

Source: Daily Monitor

WITNESS RADIO MILESTONES

Top 10 agribusiness giants: corporate concentration in food & farming in 2025

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Today a handful of agribusiness corporations have consolidated unprecedented control over the world’s food supply, with devastating consequences for farmers, consumers and the planet. A new report by ETC Group and GRAIN examines the state of corporate concentration in six sectors critical to agriculture: commercial seeds, pesticides, synthetic fertilisers, farm machinery, animal pharmaceuticals and livestock genetics.

Corporate consolidation is increasing in most of these sectors and four of them– seeds, pesticides, agricultural machinery and animal pharmaceuticals– now meet the definition of an oligopoly, in which four companies control more than 40% of a market. Concentration can be even higher at the national level, as is the case with synthetic fertilisers.

Top findings from the report include:

  • Oligopolies dominate key sectors: Bayer, Corteva, Syngenta, and BASF control 56% of the global commercial seeds market, and 61% of the pesticides market.
  • Profiteering amid global crises: Agribusiness giants have exploited crises like the Ukraine war and the COVID-19 pandemic to inflate prices. Fertiliser companies, for instance, saw revenues soar by 57% from 2020 to 2023, with some accused of price gouging.
  • Digital and biotech expansion: Corporations are rapidly integrating AI, gene editing, and digital platforms into agriculture through partnerships with Big Tech companies. These technologies enable data extraction from farmers, facilitate carbon credit schemes, and tighter control over food systems—while raising concerns about biosafety, privacy, and corporate monopolies.

View the Report

Source: grassrootsonline

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WITNESS RADIO MILESTONES

Land grabbers evict 360,000 Ugandans in 2024

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A staggering 363,021 Ugandans were displaced due to forced land evictions between January and June 2024, according to a new report by Witness Radio Uganda.

The report documented 90 cases of land evictions during this period, with nearly four incidents occurring weekly, affecting over 15,126 people and threatening 5,060 hectares of land nationwide.

The Central region was the epicenter, recording 52 eviction cases, followed by 24 in the Western region, eight in the Northern region, and six in the Eastern region. Alarmingly, the report estimated that 2,160 Ugandans face eviction daily, with 723 hectares of land at risk of being grabbed every day.

VIOLENCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

Despite government promises and directives from President Museveni to halt evictions, land grabbers have routinely ignored these orders, often resorting to violence. Armed security forces, private militias, and police were reported to have carried out the majority of the evictions.

Of the reported cases, 37 were enforced by armed gangs on behalf of evictors, 25 involved Uganda Police, five were carried out with the participation of UPDF soldiers, and four were linked to private security companies.

“The egregious levels of impunity exhibited by land grabbers have left communities defenseless, creating an environment where their human rights are trampled without consequence,” said Jeff Wokulira Ssebaggala, country director of Witness Radio Uganda.

He called for accountability and justice, warning that the unchecked power of influential individuals and entities leaves marginalized communities vulnerable and without recourse.

DRIVERS OF EVICTIONS: INDUSTRIALIZATION AND LAND-BASED INVESTMENTS

The report identified the government’s push for industrialization and land-based investments as the primary drivers of forced evictions. Land is increasingly targeted for oil and gas extraction, mining, agribusiness and tree plantations for carbon offsets. While some of this land is already under development, other parcels remain vacant but are guarded by military personnel and private security firms.

Ssebaggala emphasized that industrialization must balance economic development with the protection of smallholder farmers’ rights to land and food security.

TRAGIC STORIES

The report highlighted harrowing cases that underscore the human toll of forced evictions. In Nakasongola, smallholder farmer Dan Ssebyala was ambushed and killed by armed men following a confrontation over disputed land. The district has become a hotspot for violent evictions involving absentee landlords and powerful investors.

Ismael Bwowe, a disabled father of 20, recounted how his land was confiscated after he demanded fair compensation. He faced intimidation, arrests and false charges from state authorities, including being accused of robbing an influential individual. Bwowe claimed that Total Energies offered legal support and representation on the condition that he accept their compensation terms.

“I refused,” he said, adding that the pressure to relinquish his land remains intense. The report underscores the urgent need for reforms to address forced evictions, ensure accountability, and protect the rights of vulnerable communities. Without meaningful intervention, Uganda risks deepening inequality and undermining the livelihoods of smallholder farmers who are essential to the country’s food security.

FAMILY JAILED AMID LAND DISPUTE

The plight of Richard Ssebagala, his wife Prossy Namande, and their relative Anania Ngabirano, residents of Kabubu-Kabongo village in Nansana Municipality, Wakiso district, highlights the human toll of Uganda’s ongoing land disputes. The family spent nine months in prison following their arrest on January 10, 2024, under controversial circumstances.

ARREST AND ALLEGATIONS

The arrests occurred at 1am, during a raid by officers from Luweero police station. Police reportedly banged on the doors and forcefully detained the family, accusing them of aggravated robbery. However, the family believes the arrest was a tactic linked to a land dispute with Benon Ntambi, a man who allegedly grabbed their land.

Before the arrests, Ntambi had reportedly destroyed crops, including tomatoes, potatoes, and bananas, on the contested land. While the family was incarcerated, a new building was constructed on their land, which is now occupied, raising further questions about the motivations behind their detention.

CALLS FOR JUSTICE

The case has drawn attention from Witness Radio Uganda, which has urged the government to take immediate action to address land grabbing and illegal evictions. The organization emphasized the need to strengthen land laws and protect vulnerable communities from abuses.

It also called for greater accountability in institutions such as the Uganda Police Force, the army and land registries, which are often accused of corruption and favoritism toward the wealthy.

“The government must prioritize justice for victims of illegal evictions and address systemic corruption that leaves the poor defenseless against land grabbers,” Witness Radio Uganda stated.

BROADER CONTEXT

This case underscores the broader issue of land conflicts in Uganda, where vulnerable families are often caught in disputes with powerful individuals or entities. Advocacy groups warn that the failure to address these issues not only erodes public trust but also perpetuates inequality and injustice.

As the government faces mounting pressure to act, the story of Ssebagala and his family serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for reforms to protect land rights and ensure justice for those impacted by land disputes.

Source: The Observer

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WITNESS RADIO MILESTONES

Uganda: Community members violently evicted by security forces, allegedly related to EACOP; incl. co. responses

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On 10 February 2023, more than 2,500 community members were forcibly evicted from their land in Kapapi village in Hoima district in Western Uganda by security forces, receiving no compensation or resettlement.

Witness Radio, an Ugandan non-profit organisation comprised of human rights investigative journalists, lawyers, and social workers, said that many people were wounded during the eviction, women were raped, and houses were destroyed.

Witness Radio said its investigations found that this eviction occurred to clear the path for the Tilenga feeder pipeline, part of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). According to Witness Radio, in 2022 Kapapi community members’ land was surveyed for the Tilenga pipeline and people were informed they would be compensated for the land. Instead, they were forcibly evicted, which Witness Radio allege was backed and financed by Swacoff Intertrade Company Limited, known to TotalEnergies. They also allege that guards from private security company Magnum Security were involved. Witness Radio has also found that dozens of local farmers who were evicted have been arbitrarily arrested and face criminal charges.

The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited TotalEnergies, Swacoff Intertrade Company Limited, and Magnum Security to respond to the allegations. TotalEnergies responded and stated that no land eviction activities had been carried out by or on behalf of TotalEnergies EP Uganda (TEPU) and EACOP Ltd and that none of the affected people are Tilenga or EACOP Project Affected Persons. Swacoff responded and said that the company has never engaged in forceful eviction of any sort and asserts that these allegations are completely false. Their full responses and rejoinders from Witness Radio are available below. Magnum Security did not respond.

Source: Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

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