UGANDA, Kayunga | Real Muloodi News | Former State Minister for Lands and current Kayunga District Woman Member of Parliament, Idah Nantaba, found herself in a dangerous situation on Sunday evening, 18th February, 2024 when she and a landlord faced the fury of angry land tenants in Lugasa Village, Kahonza Sub County, Kayunga District.
The incident unfolded during a meeting called by the landlord, Rev Can Yusuf Turyomwe, aimed at resolving a dispute over a 40-acre piece of land in the village.
The meeting convened at Lugasa Primary School, was intended to negotiate with the tenants regarding the boundaries of the land and the amount of annual ground rent they would pay.
However, tensions escalated when Ms Nantaba grabbed a microphone from the Kayonza Sub County LCIII chairman, Mr John Muramuzi, and accused him, along with Mr Charles Tebandeke, Member of Parliament for Bbaale County in Kayunga District, of corruption and complicity in land grabbing activities.
The accusations sparked anger among both the accused officials and the tenants, who demanded that Ms Nantaba address the specific issue of the land dispute.
Despite attempts by the accused to dismiss the allegations, the situation quickly escalated, leading to physical altercations.
As the situation spiralled out of control, Ms Nantaba’s Special Forces Command (SFC) guards intervened to protect her, while police officers from Kayonza arrived promptly to restore order.
Rev. Can Yusuf Turyomwe was escorted to the Kayunga Central Police Station to provide documentation proving his ownership of the land, which he claims to have purchased from the late Kitaka Gawera in 2018.
However, Mr. Tebandeke alleged that the land title was obtained fraudulently and advocated for its cancellation to protect the tenants from eviction.
Despite the intervention and subsequent police involvement, tensions remain high, with conflicting accounts of the incident and unresolved land disputes lingering in the community.
Ms. Nantaba, when contacted after the altercation, expressed her decision to withdraw from the matter, citing the politicization of the issue by the tenants.
Her involvement in land matters dates back to her appointment as State Minister for Lands in 2012, where she vowed to combat land grabbing in Kayunga District.
However, she later faced criticism for her approach and was subsequently reassigned to the Ministry of ICT before being dropped from the Cabinet in 2019.
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