Nwoya district chairman Patrick Okello Oryema has given the UPDF a 14 day ultimatum to leave a disputed piece of land in Alingiri village in Nyamukino parish, Lungulu Sub County in Nwoya district.
The disputed land is about 2,000 acres with over 100 households who are in conflict with Opiyo Oloya, a Uganda based in Toronto, Canada.
David Ojok the LCI of Alingiri said in an interview with Acholi Times that the soldiers were deployed in the contested land on 23 March 2017 and have since been intimidating and causing fear among locals, an allegation denied by the army.
‘‘Our soldiers are the most disciplined people. The intimidation allegation is not true,’’ said the 4 Infantry Division Spokesman, Lt Ahmad Hassan Kato.
The land in dispute reportedly belongs to the family of Dr Opiyo Oloya, a Ugandan educationist and writer based in Canada. Mr Oloya is originally from Nwoya district. The land in question, due to a lack of occupation, is thought to have attracted squatters who are now up in arms with Dr Oloya.
The deployment of the UPDF in the area has been interpreted by locals as an attempt by Oloya to claim the land. Oloya is known to have close contacts with powerful individuals in government and the army.
However, Patrick Okello Oryema, has said the UPDF should leave the contested land within 14 days.
“If it’s a normal deployment then the UPDF has to be relocated to another area which is free of conflict. But should they (UPDF) resist our demand then we shall group them as being behind the land conflict,’’ Oryema told Acholi Times.
Lt Ahmad Hassan Kato, the 4 Infantry Division Spokesman however said the army is not involved in the land conflict.
‘‘Dr Opiyo temporarily gave the UPDF land on which we can set up a detach to oversee the security in the area, alongside the police in Nwoya district,’’ Lt Kato said in an interview with Acholi Times on Thursday. Asked what the ‘‘temporary’’ period of time Oloya gave to the UPDF, Kato said he was unaware.
3 Comments
No wonder Dr. Oloya has always sounded very sympathetic to anything NRM.
Now its the army NRM which is coursing conflict over land ownership in Acholi.They are everywhere where land is in despute. Is the gorverment trying to make Acholi landless.Land in Acholi should be decided according to the customary law of the land
These people have noy paid a single coin for their land and now they are driving people away from what is their original land.Even the government comes in daylight and declares government land without consulting the people living in the land.The land in Acholi has its owners.When you think of it the foregners British treated us much better.The even respected our land ownership system but now a gorverment which originated from our struggle for independence is stealing from us.Our very own who we throught we could trust is stealing from us in broad daylight.Disgusting.