Charcoal Dealers Drag Amuru LCV Chairman before Court

Charcoal dealers under their umbrella, United Charcoal Vendors’ Association, have dragged Amuru and the district  LCV Chairman to High Court in Gulu  and are seeking a court order to recover of a total of 65.4 Million Shillings, which they say is the total value of 1,391 bags of charcoal that was impounded and auctioned by the Amuru local government.

Lakony is sued jointly with Amuru District Local Government for unlawfully impounding the plaintiff’s over 1,000 bags of charcoal, unlawfully impounding plaintiff’s vehicles, imposing illegal fees which is exorbitant in nature and for allegedly beating up members of the charcoal dealers’ association.

In a civil suit number 29 of 2016 and filed at Gulu High Court on October 13, 2016, the charcoal dealers sued Lakony and the Amuru local government through their lawyers Ms Luzige, Lubega, Kavuma & Co Advocates, a Kampala based law firm.

The charcoal dealers say the act of impounding their charcoal and beating them was illegal, arbitrary and unconstitutional.

Part of the suit reads, “The plaintiffs entered into various memorandum of understandings with some of the residents of Amuru District to clear their land for agricultural purposes owing to the fact that after vacating their land for over 27 year of war, on their return, they found the land with overgrown scrubs, trees and bush which made it hard to earn a living in such environment.”

“However to the plaintiffs’ surprise, sometime in early September, 2016, the defendants and their workers, agents or employees impounded the plaintiffs motor vehicles carrying charcoal which were only released up on payment of exorbitant fines imposed by the defendants.”

The lawyers for the commercial dealers insist that their client obtained all the necessary clearance from the first respondent (Amuru District Local Government).

The main plaintiffs in the case are; Abdul Lumu Saidi, the General Secretary of the association while Sebulime Abed and Senfuma Yowana are the association’s members.

The charcoal dealers are demanding for 5.5 Million shillings in medical expenses after they claimed to have been assaulted on the orders of the Amuru District LCV Chairman. The traders are demanding that High Court orders for the recovery of unspecified amount of cash in fines that they paid  to the district after thier motor vehicles that were illegally impounded by the district officials.

Nico Kayongo, one of the lawyers of the charcoal dealers says Lakony and Amuru District Local Government have 15 days to respond to the suit or judgment will be entered against them.

When contacted on Thursday evening, Lakony said he had neither seen nor been served with a copy of the civil suit brought against him and the district.

However Lakony says he is ready for the court battle.

Last week, Amuru official auctioned the impounded bags of charcoal.

Gulu is also facing a similar threat from dealers after they issued intention to sue unless the district officials suspend the ban imposed on commercial charcoal business.

Charcoal dealers claimed that they have already sunk over 500 million shillings in acquiring trees from the local communities, paying workers and obtaining operation licenses in districts in Acholi and West Nile sub regions.

With 500 members, the group says they have invested close to 25 billion shillings across the country and are yet to realize what they have already invested.

They have been operating in: Nwoya, Oyam, Arua, Gulu, Amuru, Nakaseke and Kayunga districts among others.

In Amuru alone, at least 400 bags of charcoal are produced everyday leading to large vegetation covers being destroyed.