UGANDA, Mukono | Real Muloodi News | Residents of Kolo Village in Namanve, Mukono Municipality, are demanding justice following the Mukono eviction carried out by the Uganda Railway Corporation (URC) in 2023.
The eviction affected over 2,000 households, leaving many without shelter. Several families live under trees, in churches, or makeshift wooden structures.
Mr Abudallah Mukasa, one of the affected residents, described the impact of the Mukono eviction on his livelihood.
“I had 50 housing units that were demolished without my consent. Now, I am stranded with nowhere to stay with my family. We are forced to share a small room, which is humiliating for my grown-up children. I am struggling to provide for my family, and I don’t know how long we can survive like this,” Mukasa said.
Another resident, Mr Mathew Mungumbele, stated that he settled on the disputed railway land in 2006 after purchasing it from a URC officer.
He alleged that the officer who sold the land had indicated that the residents were needed to prevent vandalism along the railway line.
Ms. Olivia Opili, who owned five rental units before the eviction, said her properties were demolished, and she is now depending on a church for shelter.
“I lost everything. I used to be a landlady, but now I am homeless. The government should compensate us so we can find somewhere else to live,” Opili said.
Local leaders have condemned the Mukono eviction, citing a lack of due process. Mr Mathias Mutyaba, the area chairperson, expressed disappointment with the URC’s handling of the situation.
“We were told that the railway only needed 10 meters of land and that we would be compensated. But instead, people’s property was demolished without compensation,” Mutyaba said.
Mukono Municipality Member of Parliament, Ms. Betty Nambooze, criticized the URC and pointed to the terms of the agreement between the government and the African Development Bank.
“The government is indirectly creating insecurity in the country by not compensating the affected residents. This may lead to attacks on ongoing investments in Namanve. The government should have compensated the residents before evicting them,” Nambooze said.
Leader of Opposition, Mr Joel Ssenyonyi, also called for compensation before any evictions.
“As opposition, we don’t oppose development, but we fight against the oppression of people. The government must value people’s property accordingly before evicting them. People get evicted and die early because of stress. We urge those in the 20-meter railway area not to leave until they get the money,” Ssenyonyi said.
URC officials have denied allegations that its officers sold land to the residents and stated that compensation would be provided as a disturbance fee.
Mr John Linnon Sengendo, the head of communications at URC, clarified the compensation process.
“What they refer to as compensation is resettlement. Since the government fully owns the land on which the residents settled, it was agreed that people are paid a disturbance amount (structured) only depending on the value of the structure as established by the Chief Government Valuer,” Sengendo said.
He added that URC is hiring a Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) consultant to validate previous reports before payments can be made.
“We are in the process of procuring a RAP consultant to validate what was in the report. When that is done, disclosure and payments will be made,” Sengendo said.
READ MORE LIKE THIS:
Mukono Land Dispute Escalates Prompting Investigations by Anti-Corruption Unit
