By URN
Voters in the Bunyoro sub-region have tasked candidates vying for parliamentary and other local government positions to present comprehensive strategies to end the escalating land evictions once they are elected into office.
The voters say land grabbing cases have persisted in the region for years, leaving many residents living in fear as they face threats of eviction from their ancestral land. They emphasized that top on the candidates’ agenda should be finding a lasting solution to the Bunyoro land question and urged contestants to speak with one voice in addressing the matter as they solicit for votes.
Joseph Kyamanywa, a resident of Buhirigi Village in Bombo Sub-county, Hoima District, says candidates who win the upcoming elections should advocate for free distribution of land titles to residents to help them protect their land from grabbers and speculators.
Patrick Musinguzi, a resident of Kigorobya Town Council in Hoima District, explains that several people have been brutally evicted and rendered homeless, while others are on the verge of being evicted from land they have occupied for decades, yet the government remains silent. He says politicians traversing various parts of the region should prioritize solving Bunyoro’s land question.
Jeska Nyamaizi, a resident of Kizirafumbi Sub-county in Kikuube District, says if the escalating land grabbing and eviction cases in Bunyoro are not given special attention by those who will be elected, many voters may lose trust in the electoral process.
Vincent Kyalisiima, a resident of Bugana in Buliisa District, says they will only vote for candidates who pledge to address land grabbing in the district. He urges politicians to be vocal and find lasting solutions to the Bunyoro land question.
James Kyomukama, a resident of Kiryandongo District, says the alarming rate of land grabbing and evictions targeting vulnerable people in the region is worrying. He calls on candidates to prioritize the issue once elected.
Pius Wakabi, the Bugahya County Member of Parliament, says if re-elected, he will push the government to issue free land titles to the people of Bunyoro to protect them from land grabbers.
Bunyoro sub-region has witnessed a series of brutal land evictions by speculators and grabbers who invaded the area following the discovery of oil and gas.
To date, hundreds of families remain under threat of eviction in the districts of Hoima, Kikuube, and Kiryandongo.
