Over 130 households in fort portal tourism city are in fear of being evicted by fort portal diocese

By Kajumba Gorret

Over 130 households in Katumba B cell and Kyegobe cell in Kijanju ward, central division in fort portal tourism city are in fear of being evicted by fort portal tourism city from mission land where they have lived for more than fifty years.

According to residents, they inherited the land from their fore grandparents who died and buried on church land but now the diocesan land board has released new rules and guidelines to be followed by the squatters when staying on church land.

Yesterday, the diocesan land board called a meeting which was  held at st. Adolf ongoing formation center fort portal diocese in fort portal tourism city of all squatters with an aim of signing the new rules and guidelines as long as they are staying on church land they have to abide them; when the church wants its land the squatter must go away without compensation, no cemetery on church land and they have to apply for the land like new comers not to reapply, within three days these letters must be filled and taken back to the authorities of the land.

But this caused chaos in the meeting where journalists were sent away as residents refused to sign on those letters and the revealed that the place where the diocese has given them as a graveyard is waterlogged and stony.

“We cannot bury our beloved ones into water and yet our fore grandparents were buried on that same land of the church, we have stayed on this land for more than fifty years but no permanent should be built on that land, no any developmental projects so if they want to valuate us what will they pay us and how much?” squatters cry out.

Ruhweza Remigious chairperson lc1 Kyegobe cell said that the diocese has a big percentage of land and it does not allow any developmental project to be carried out from its land that has caused the place to remain backward yet it is in the centre of the city.

Katabarwa Wilson Friday chairperson lc1 Katumba B cell said that the time frame given to squatters to fill these letters is too short and it has put pressure on residents that the diocese is planning to send them away from its land.

Musabe Innocent lands officer fort portal diocese disclosed that as a diocese they do not know those people who are complaining, the diocese gave settlement to their fore grandparents and they were used to the rules and guidelines from the diocesan land board but this young generation inherited the land from their parents know nothing so that is the reason as to why they are complaining.

When we contacted one of the lawyers for more clarification on the land act Lawyer Ahabwa James and company advocate in fort portal tourism city made it clear that the Uganda land act 1998 gives the right to the grandsons of the squatters that the landlord registered and gave settlement because they also inherited it from tenants which were registered with the landlord so there is no need of applying for the land or registering them.

If the diocese wants them out it has to compensate them because they have stayed on that land for more than 12 years.