By Edward Byamukama
More than 500 children whose families were evicted from their ancestral land in Kasonga Parish, Kyangwali Sub-county, Kikuube District, are unable to access education. The children and their parents were evicted in September 2013 from Bukinda A and B, Bukinda 2, Kavule, Bwizibwera A and B, Kyeya A and B, Nyaruhanga, Kabirizi, Nyamigisa A and B, Katoma, and other villages in Kasonga Parish, Kyangwali Sub- County.
The eviction was carried out by officials from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), backed by the police and the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF). More than 60,000 people were forced off the contested land to pave the way for refugee settlement.
The displaced residents were relocated to camps in Kyeya Village, Kyangwali Sub- County, where they have endured poor living conditions. The dispute between the evictees and Kyangwali Refugee Settlement revolves around 36 square kilometers of land.
Despite more than a decade since their eviction, the children of the affected families have not been able to access education. During the eviction, OPM officials argued that they needed to expand the refugee settlement from 50 to 70 square miles due to an increasing refugee population from neighboring countries.
In February 2022, the evictees camped at the office of the Kikuube Resident District Commissioner (RDC) in protest against the government’s prolonged failure to resettle them on their ancestral land. In July 2023, they vacated the RDC’s office and relocated to a piece of land in Butyamba Cell, Kikuube Town Council, donated by Florence Natumanya, the Kikuube Woman Member of Parliament.
However, since settling there, their children have remained out of school due to various challenges. Spice FM visited the Butyamba camp on Tuesday and found that children in the area were not attending school despite the commencement of the academic year.Fred Mbabali, one of the evictees, explains that there is no nearby primary school where their children can enroll. He adds that despite repeated pleas to the government to establish a school for them, nothing has been done.
Onesmus Nuhunule, another victim of the eviction, says his children have been out of school since 2022. He notes that he cannot afford school fees since he has no source of income and remains confined to the settlement.
Godorevu Birungi, a mother of six, appeals to the government to establish a primary school in their settlement so that her children can access education.
Paul Nsabimaana, another resident of Butyamba camp, questions why the government has abandoned them to the extent that they cannot even afford to send their children to school.
Nestory Tumwesige, the LCV Councilor for Kyangwali A Sub- County, where the evictees originally lived before their displacement, describes the situation as unfortunate. He criticizes the government for prioritizing refugees over its own citizens.
He calls for immediate intervention, urging the government to establish a primary school in the settlement to enable the children to access education.
Ahumuza Businge, another resident of the camp, highlights additional challenges beyond education. He says they lack access to clean drinking water and are forced to share available water sources with wild animals, putting their lives at risk. In 2022, Hillary Onek, the Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness, and Refugees, told URN that the contested land belongs to the government, which acquired it legally.
In October 2021, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja halted all activities by OPM officials on the disputed land. She issued the directive after discovering that some officials from the OPM and Kyangwali Refugee Settlement had colluded to construct structures for refugees and plant crops such as beans, maize, cassava, bananas, and groundnuts on the contested land.
She said this could have been a move by some OPM and Kyangwali refugee settlement area officials to fraudulently grab the land from the community members neighbouring the settlement. Nabbanja then ordered the Minister for disaster preparedness, the Commandant of Kyangwali Refugee settlement area, Kikuube District Police commander-DPC, and the Resident District Commissioner-RDC to ensure that no more activity takes place on the contested land until investigations into the wrangles are completed.
