Major General Julius Oketta has asked Kilak County Member of Parliament (MP), Mr Gilbert Olanya to stop mobilizing locals against government over Apaa border demarcation issue.
He said Olanya has known the truth about the boundary right from the time he was still a council for Amuru district in 2007.
Major General Oketta was cadres who had undergone a 3 weeks training at Pabbo SS in Amuru on behalf of President Yoweri Museveni.
He said that if Olanya loves the people of Amuru district and Particularly Apaa, he should better table a motion in Parliament to degazette Apaa as a game reserve and forest reserve so that the people live there peacefully.
“The president has already taken a decision that the land in Apaa belongs to the people of Apaa and nobody will be chased from there and indeed I am willing to rally all the Mps weather opposition or National Resistance Movement (NRM) to support that motion when you bring it before the floor of Parlaiment,” General Oketta said.
Oketta said the boundary opening is for administrative purpose only and that the people who fall on either side of Amuru or Adjumani will not be chased as promised by the president.
“I am begging you, they will say how can a general beg a honorable member but he is a civil authority and he deploys me, Olanya let me do my work to keep peace by telling the people of Apaa not to demonstrate or undress again, “Oketta begged.
Olanya in response said that former President Iddi Amin Dada is the one who de-gazetted East madi game hunting side and there is no need for any motion.
He added that it was then minister of tourism, Mr Ephraim Kamuntu who wrote a statutory instrument announcing Apaa a game reserve without consulting the local people.
“I am not going to table any motion but I am calling on all the Acholi people that we have issues to respond to in Apaa because it is the local people who are suffering period,” Olanya said.
6 Comments
Oketa, the border will mean this is yours and that is ours. Stop being like you haven’t learn all this years. Which other district is being demarcated now? When you have the border, the government will come up with so many terms which we do not know yet, but some might include no crossing wild life boundary, no cutting trees, no killing animals, no using trees in the forest for building and wood for firewood. Which again leads to dead. They may also come up with plan to put military base saying protection but you already know from the others we had in the region.
Be wise Acholi
This is not the problem of the MP Olanya’s alone. This is Africa’s problem as a continent ( see the links attached) http://www.stopafricalandgrab.com/. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIwZSDH2Ejg. As for the Acoli’s case, the Ugandan government officials have published their plans even sent the plans for international community e.g. in BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-32938779 that the land of Apaa was sold to one investor while the Acoli people were in concentration camps, the people did not know anything about it. What is the use of a Member of Parliament if he/she cannot speak up for the rights of the people?
It is the government that should stop harassing and shooting the people over their lands. NO STEALING of LANDS. Also we demand the release of those people kept in prison over the in appropriate land demarcation of Apaa Amuru district. It is their legitimate rights to protest the grabbing of their assets which is the land. You search all over Africa the land grabbing (neo colonialism has become a major problem).
Lok kom ngom kombeddi odoko ayela i Africa lung ma miri gamo lim ki bot jo mawoko ci gicato ngom pa lutedero. ONYO luwil kibino giloko but lutedero ni gupang ngomgi pi mwaka munyo ci kidwoko cen ento weng ducu pe tye ka tic. Pien mogo gitenyo yat ma balo ngom woko dok gikiro yat i cam ma kelo two mapat pat en calo kit ma dong two they ka nya kwede ni. Onong ka twere kiter bwulu ma kitwero pwonyogi i lok me pwuro jami mapat pat. kadi ka kikelo jo ma i Africa kenyo me nyutto kit ma bwulu twero geto kwede i lok me pwur, pitto gweni, dyangi, dyegi, rommi. Ci kiter kit me catto jami magi paco ki i lobo ma woko. Engo pe kinyeb lok me pango ngom wa catto ngom.
Apwoyo
When a government is of the people, by the people and for the people, it will never resort to force to acquire land. Otherwise, there is a major problem. Acquisition of land without the owner’s consent will never work no matter how long it takes for the owners to recover it. Resisting land grabbing is a right and not a crime but grabbing someone else’s property without his or her consent is criminal. The land and the people have been there long before the government of Uganda came into being. If so, how does the government come to claim ownership of the land without the consent of the people? Might does not make right.
First,Major General is talking as if He is not the indegenous son of Pabbo .
It is regrettable that the Government of President Museveni has taken a decision on the Apaa land after the Police and UPDF under the uncoordinated operation that killed innocent people,even if Government talked of administrative purposes they have found the Land owners there for Years.
Our major problems are disadvantaged by the current system.
Secondly,Now that the Court has upheld the innocent people with various tribunals on going,if the President is aware of the Government’s attacks and destruction of their properties and injuries,then let the case be dropped and compensation be met.
Thirdly,Religious Leaders,Politicians and Civic Society are only asking the Government to withdraw the Forces currently stationed in Apaa Parish.THAT IS NOT ENOUGH.
We request the recommendation of the INDEPENDENT EXPERT to be appointed to VISIT Apaa Land for a QUALITY Assessment Interviews to go down on record.
Finally,We support Hon Gilbert Olanya’s call to all Acholi People for the ISSUES of APaa invasion to be address without further delay.(Eng.Jack Loum Lakana-Pabbo in Diaspora)
Well put! The People and land have existed Long before govt of uganada came into being. And yet we hear Oketa spitting out such rubbish, M7 has already decided that Apaa land belongs to the People of Apaa.What utter rubbish! We shall go Forward in Africa when govts realise that development is not exploitation. Negotiate with land owners on how to aquire land. You could lease or buy land if you want to invest. A win-win for everybody. Landgrabb is crime against Humanity.
Land grabb Mr guest was one of the very many factors that NRM waged war on Acoliland for 25 years.