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Students panic as landlord threatens to evict their school premises

LC V Chairman Erastus Kibirango and MP Brenda Nabukenya presiding over a meeting to resolve the land dispute on Monday. PHOTO URN

Luwero, Uganda | THE INDEPEDENT | More than 300 students of Kayindu Secondary School in Luwero district are in panic following an order by the landlord to evict them from their premises.

In 1982, residents established Kayindu Secondary School as a community school in Kalagala sub-county after getting five acres of land as a donation from David Ssemwogerere.  Ssemwogerere acquired the piece of land from his father David Muzanyi who died in 1949.

However last year, Kasalina Navuga aged 83 years emerged with a land title issued on 9th September 2019 and claimed ownership of the land at block 10 plot 116. According to the title, Navuga the daughter of the late Muzanyi acquired the land title through a succession of the land.

On 31st January 2024 through Alex Kiyimba and Company Advocates, Navuga wrote to the LCI Chairperson and the school administration informing them that she had decided to take possession of the land with immediate effect after the school failed to regularize their stay or show proof of ownership.

Navuga added that effective 3rd February 2024 anybody found at the land comprising of the school will be prosecuted as trespasser.

“We look forward to receiving maximum cooperation from you the local leaders to avoid complicated situations that might come with undesirable results,’’ Navuga said.

Daniel Ssebyala, the Headteacher of Kayindu Secondary School says that although the school reopened for a new term on Monday, they are in panic over pending eviction because earlier dialogue with the purported landlord failed to yield any positive results.

Ssebyala adds that currently, they have nowhere to relocate the students who are studying there and asked the district leadership to block the eviction.

On Monday, Erastus Kibirango the LCV Chairman of Luwero invited the parents, the landlord, and area leaders to the school premises to resolve the matter.

However, the meeting ended prematurely after men who identified themselves as Gerald Kizza a grandson, and David Kizza a son of Navuga allegedly insulted the leaders and the parents.

David Kizza who represented Navuga insisted that they would proceed to evict the school premises because the administrators illegally acquired the land.

Kibirango adjourned the meeting but issued directives that no eviction should take place till both the school authorities and landlord agree on the way forward.

Brenda Nabukenya, the District Woman Member of Parliament, and Robert Ssekitoleeko the Area Member of Parliament condemned what they referred to as the grabbing of school land by children which is against the will of their fathers.

Nabukenya vowed that they would do whatever they could to block the eviction of the school if the landlord refused to reach a consensus with school administrators.

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URN

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