By Leilah Bbaale
Development partners have launched a 500,000 Euro human rights project geared towards strengthening reporting and evidence-based advocacy efforts to safeguard environmental and land rights of the people in the Albertine region.
The three year project dubbed Monitoring, Documentation and Advocacy for Human Rights in Uganda (MDA-HRU) will be implemented by Witness Radio in partnership with National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders Network Uganda and DCA Act Alliance with funding from European Union.
Speaking during the inception meeting for the project, Witness Radio Program Director Christopher Kiwanuka says there are several reported cases of violation of environmental and land rights of people in Bunyoro region as result of oil and gas developments.
He notes that, it was discovered that the duty bearers who are supposed to protect the rights of people on land are instead conniving with land speculators to violate the land rights of the poor people.
He adds that with the project, the vulnerable families will be supported by building their capability to be able to articulate issues affecting them in the context of land and environmental rights since the project seeks focus of promoting and protecting human rights in Uganda
Kiwanuka says the project will be implemented in the nine oil rich and extractive districts of western region and eight districts of Karamonja region. For Albertine region- Hoima, Kikuube, Buliisa, Masindi, Kirandongo and Mubende district are some of the beneficiary districts.
He says the project will also help the victims with legal support.
While launching the project, the Hoima district Chairman Uthuman Mugisha Mubarak says the project has come at the right time when district is overwhelmed by the increasing number of land conflicts because the local community is ignorant about their land rights.
He has also emphasized the need to educate the citizenry on upholding rights of children in communities alongside other Human Right works in the community.
