By URN
More than 500 families in Buliisa district are on the brink of eviction from their ancestral land. The affected residents are from Kataleba village in Bugana Parish, Buliisa Sub County, which is home to the Ngara oil pad. They are embroiled in a land dispute with Francis Kaahwa, a tycoon based in Buliisa and Kampala, over a piece of land measuring approximately 300 hectares.
Kaahwa is said to have begun claiming the land in 2009. According to the affected residents, some of them have occupied the disputed land since the 1950s. They are puzzled by Kaahwa’s sudden claim to the land. The residents are calling for government intervention to prevent their eviction. They allege that Kaahwa has been threatening to force them off the land.
Muhereza Bajenja, 70, one of the residents, explains that his family has been on the land since the 1950s. He is concerned about Kaahwa’s claim and urges the Ministry of Lands to step in and protect them from eviction. Bajenja believes Kaahwa’s interest in the land is motivated by its location on an oil pad, which would allow him to benefit from the oil and gas industry.
Christine Bagire, another resident, says their future is uncertain, as Kaahwa has repeatedly threatened to evict them. She adds that she has lived on the contested land since childhood. Michael Okecha, another resident, states that he has lived on the land since birth. He is calling for an investigation into how Kaahwa acquired a title to the land without the residents’ consent.
Okecha insists that Kaahwa should provide legitimate documents signed by area residents that authorized him to take over the land. Kamanda Kabagambe, the LC3 Chairperson for Buliisa Sub County, explains that residents are living in fear. He is calling on the Ministry of Lands to investigate how Kaahwa acquired the title to the land without the consent of local leaders.
Fred Lukumu, the Buliisa LCV Chairperson, says the affected residents have petitioned his office. He reassured them that no one would be evicted. He is urging the government to investigate how Kaahwa obtained the land title without approval from district leaders. Lukumu stresses the need for government action to protect the people of Buliisa and the Bunyoro sub-region from threats of forced eviction, especially following the discovery of oil in the region.
When contacted, Kaahwa defended his claim to the land, stating that he is the rightful owner and has all the necessary documents. He emphasized that the matter is currently before the court in Hoima. This is not the first time Kaahwa has been implicated in land disputes in Buliisa and Hoima districts. In 2022, over 1,000 families in two villages in Butiaba Town Council, Buliisa District, accused Kaahwa of attempting to grab their ancestral land.
The affected families, from Watembo and Boma villages, claimed that Kaahwa illegally acquired a title for approximately 1,800 hectares of land. The residents were surprised to learn of Kaahwa’s land title in 2019, as they had lived on the land since the 1960s. To demonstrate their ownership, the residents explained that in 2003, they offered part of their land to President Museveni to establish the Watembo army barracks.
In a similar dispute in 2019, more than 500 families at the Waaki landing site in Kibiro Parish, Kigorobya Sub County, Hoima District, accused Kaahwa of attempting to forcefully evict them from their land, which spans over 2,000 hectares. The residents claimed that although Kaahwa held a title to 806 hectares in the neighboring Kakoma Burwe village, he sought to use it to seize their land.
They also accused police and Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) officers of colluding with Kaahwa to intimidate them. In August 2024, officials from the State House Anti-Corruption Unit arrested Kaahwa on charges of land grabbing and brought him to court. Kaahwa, 72, a resident of Kigwera Sub County in Buliisa and Kampala, was arrested in Kampala and charged in Buliisa Grade One Magistrate’s Court for land grabbing, false declaration, forgery, and uttering false documents.
During the court session, Senior Resident State Attorney Steven Asaba outlined the allegations. He said that on January 18, 2006, Kaahwa submitted a fraudulent application to convert customary land belonging to peasants into freehold land, signed by Lukumu Kadogoli. He further stated that on October 18, 2006, Kaahwa knowingly made a false statement in an application to the Masindi District Land Board to convert land from customary to freehold tenure.
Kaahwa falsely declared that he was the customary owner of about 500 acres in Itutwe village, Kihungya Parish, Biiso Sub-County, Buliisa District. Kaahwa pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail.
