The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Moroto, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Moroto District Local government has offered more than 228.1 hectares of land for the establishment of a cement factory amidst contests from the community.
The decision to allocate the land to Uganda Development Cooperation-UDC and its partners TSAVO Engineers and Savanna Mines was reached during the district council meeting held in November, 2018. However, the decision met resistance from the community members who claim they were hijacked by council.
According to the district authorities, the land in question belongs to Moroto District Local Government. It was reportedly gazzetted in 1940s as an agricultural demonstration site for the region. But for decades now, more than 50 households have been deriving their livelihood on the said land located five kilometers along Soroti Road.
The community in Nadunget, where the land is situated has been using it for cultivation and grazing their animals. Some of the residents say their land has been encroached on by the district. Ruth Najore, one of the affected residents, says she was forced out of the place by the police with the compensation of one million shillings.
She notes that all the people, who were cultivating on the land, were classified as squatters, yet others owned land in the area.
Celestine Aleper, another affected resident says he was forced to pick Shillings 500,000 after the authorities warned that no more money would be given to those who refuse to take what had been offered. Aleper says there are about 150 claimants on the land who demanded at least Shillings 5 million per acre.
He told URN that much as part of the land belongs to the district, part of it belonging to the community has been encroached on by the district. He explains that much of the land in question was only being used for cultivation and grazing due to insecurity in the past.
Records obtained by URN indicate that the district owns only 89.43 hectares of the land but has instead taken 228.1 hectares. Peter Ken Lochap, the Moroto Resident District Commissioner, when asked why the district paid residents for the land that belongs to the district, said residents were only appreciated for keeping the land for all that long.
“They were not compensated but appreciated. No land goes for that less money. These are only people who are sabotaging development in the district yet we need these investments. I have investigated and found that the land belongs to the district”, he said on phone. Christine Akot, the Moroto District Vice Chairperson, says the community will benefit from the investment inform of scholarships, jobs and other social services offered by the companies as part of their cooperate social responsibility.
The establishment of the cement factories has been one of the major concerns by all stakeholders in Karamoja Sub Region. On different occasions, President Museveni has promised to have factories set up in the region since companies like Tororo Cement transport of limestone, one of the raw materials for cement manufacture to Tororo and other distant districts.
*****
URN
