A fresh row has emerged among a section of Acholi leaders over the Amuru sugar works in Amuru district.
The bitter row erupted shortly after a group of cultural leaders from Amuru district led by Prof Jack Nyeko Pen-Mogi, the Gulu University Vice Chancellor held a closed door meeting with Lands Minister, Betty Amongi in Kampala.
The clan chiefs from Pamuca, Toro and Pagak delivered a resolution to the Minister Amongi in regards to 10,000 hectares of land in Lakang, Kololo, Bana and Lujoro, all in Lujoro village, Pailyec parish in Amuru Sub County, Amuru district.
Among the resolutions is a demand by the chiefs for 40 percent of the money that will paid on each acre of land to compensate all facilities that will be affected by the Sugar works. The chiefs told the minister that they hold the land in trust of their people (subjects).
The resolution of the chiefs and their meeting with minister Amongi irked Kilak South Member of Parliament Gilbert Olanya who railed against Prof Pen Mogi who led the chiefs in the meeting with Amongi.
Speaking on Monday this week Olanya who has been a vocal voice on land in Amuru, blamed Pen-Mogi for going behind the people to fulfil his (Pen Mogi’s) selfish interest.
Olanya who sounded visibly angry accused Pen-Mogi of being a self-seeker who is working against the interest of the land owners.
Olanya further accused Pen-Mogi of pushing Madhvani’s interest for the sugar baron to come Amuru district without proper negotiations and clear terms of agreement.
Olanya also claimed Pen-Mogi who is also a born of Amuru districts wants to remain relevant after his term of office at Gulu University expires (Gulu University is currently in the process of getting a new Vice Chancellor).
But Pen-Mogi hit back dismissing accusation as baseless. Pen-Mogi explained that he led a team of cultural leaders to meet Minister Amongi in a bid to pave way and set a stage for negotiations between the landowners and government.
According to Pen-Mogi, the meeting is one of a series of meetings that will see Deed of Settlement signed before the land is reverted under a cultural ownership.
In February 2012, high court sitting in Gulu ruled that the land in question is public land. The land owners appealed in the Court of Appeal. However, much later, the government and the land owners agreed to solve the matter out of court and take their out of court settlement to the Court of Appeal. In meetings with the land owners, President said the government was willing to hand over the land in question to the owners and change its legal status from public to customary.
In the war of words between Pen Mogi and Olanya, the Gulu University legislator described Olanya as ‘‘ignorant’’ and accused him (Olanya) of blocking investment in Amuru for political gains, something Pen Mogi said he is ready to fight against.
Meanwhile Prof Morris Ogenga-Latigo, the Agago North County MP who appeared on a local FM radio in Gulu on Monday alongside Prof Pen-Mogi was equally critical of MP Olanya’s stand on investment.
Prof Ogenga-Latigo questioned why Olanya is standing on the way of investments in Acholi without critical analysis. Latigo argued that as an investor himself, he has never been convinced by reasons present by politicians from Amuru district on why investors should not be allowed to access land for investment. He also advised that litigants who have already lodged an appeal before the Court of Appeal to consider negotiating with government.
Michael Lakony, the District LCV Chairperson Amuru strongly disagreed.
Lakony says both Pen-Mogi and Latigo are sending wrong impression to government that leaders from Amuru are negative when it comes to giving land for investment.
Lakony cited Omee Farming Limited and Atiak Sugar, as a clear sign that they want investments. Lakony further said they (local leaders opposed to the approach of Pen Mogi and Latigo) are only opposed to investment that is brought against what he termed the ‘‘will of the people’’.
Denis Opiyo Atwom who represented the Clan chief of Pagak during the meeting with minister Amongi criticized both Lakony and Olanya for riding on the ignorance of the communities in Amuru district.
Atwom claims that politicians such as Olanya have been misinforming the population about investments. Atwom also accused politicians who he described as anti-investment for having turned land into an issue from which to reap political capital.
Since 2006, government has failed to secure land for Madhvani for his sugar investment. President Museveni blames it on ‘‘negative attitudes’’ of leaders from Amuru saying the leaders are letting their people down by locking them in vicious cycle of poverty.
5 Comments
Prof Ogenga Latigo, you are so irrelevant to all things Acholi. You are so illiterate as to how cultures of the world have been destroyed by so-called Investors. Where are Tasmanians – all slaughtered. I am so angry that I cannot really politely point out issues.
[1] How does Ogenga from Agago secure land in Nwoya among the Ariya without the cultural permission. Keep talking and you will surely be dispossessed – your sponsor Col (RIP) is no more. Have you any idea of how to develop Agago and protect it from the scotching dry season? Bankrupt intellectual.
[2] How developed are the Basogas where Madhvani operated since the early 1900s. How much did he pay for the land etc. Jwinya rules the day!! But I forget, I hear you grew up there and may have survived Jwinya too.
[3]Look at the state of American Indians, South American Natives. All dispossessed and beggars in their own land.
[4] How many retired/injured sugar cane cutters are being catered for? What if he fires them? Mechanization issues?
[5]Do you know Madhvani supported Amin’s overthrow of Obote I until Amin turned on them? I stayed at their abandoned mansion 5 self contained bedrooms with a lonely pet bird . Read the “Move to the Left Speech” of Obote given at Nakivubo. Madhvani lost a huge chunk of his business. It can be correctly argued that he sponsored Obote II fall in cahoots with fellow expelled Indians. Why would Museveni bend over backwards for the Indians?
[6] Madhvani is probably the largest single land owner of Uganda’s land surface after the Catholic Church. I hear it takes about 5 minutes by plane to fly over. Is this not a loss of sovereignty?
[7]Prof. you are bankrupt on development economics. You got to the lowest hanging fruit. Come with a creative development solution for Acholi. You are every where including the OIL.
[8] Basic Project Finance. Given the size of the acreage Madhvani wants, one can arrange Syndicated Finance and maybe World Bank too / underwritten by Uganda Tax Payers. Acholi as a community can form a body and might get similar financing. Madhvani is going to mortgage this land to get the money to develop it.
[9] Politician Prof Ogenga, have you heard of Anti-Trust Laws. This is meant to protect the Economy from over concentration of control in a few hands. Check how many industries are now under Madhvani’s control. A single sneeze by this family can grind Uganda’s economy to a halt.
COOPERATIVE is the solution and we shall grow what we know how to do.
An acre of tired over cultivated land rents for US$75 per rainy season in Canada.
Madhvani sugar project will denude the land of its energy and pollute water/ rivers/ streams for the villagers downstream. READ up on Sugar Production (why sugar is white). Many Ugandans Studied Sugar Engineering in Cuba during Obote II. How many work for Madhvani? Instead Madhvani imports Indians like “moro”. At Entebbe they have a special immigration line. and you call yourself a LEADER? Go to Entebbe and see for yourself.
Whenever the blackman comes into contact with any other race on earth they are made the bottom. Better we keep them out. Acholi has had so many Phds’ Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Columbia, Cornell, Rutgers etc etc graduates, how do you singularly qualify to advice on Acholi issues?
Please ask Mahvani for an acre in Kakiira and go plant reliable seed like maize and see how it survives without intervention. It will not produce. Look at sugar canes – thin and dry like “gaya” sorghum due to misuse.Kakiira land is exhausted effete (no longer fertile) dead. Chemical support for the sugar cane is failing, that is why he badly needs Amuru. Lake Victoria Hyacinth is due to chemicals pouring in from factories like Madhvani. Better keep him in Jinja.
Olanya is a visionary leader, he is not a leader who sell people together with their future to foreigners for few cents. Those going against Olanya,s approach are short sighted. Once you let your land go, you will never have it back. This issue of foreign investors are a baite;(lanyata me yuto rec) It is a hidden agenda in the retaking of fertile lands from common people. It will all cry in the not so long run.
Poverty really makes one blind and trying to win favour from the ruling government. Seriously you may think a professor is a well read person to analyse or use simple data from other Sugar Cane growing region or countries.
In this 21st century you still think of destroying your land for growing sugar cane or even think of giving away your huge land?
I wonder how Basoga region is developed with many sugar cane growing since the 1960s to date?
Some of these Acholi so call elite are a disgrace to the tribe. Why cant Acoli form up a cooperative group if they have empty land to grow food crops such as Maize, rice, wheat? cant Acoli also become investors in their land, it should be a foreigner to be called investor?
Cen mo aye tye ikom kaka Acoli!!
Life Presidency campaigner is here in broad daylight.There is no way we are going to allow Prof.Pen-Mogi to risk lives of Amuru People.”Let us beat Prof.Pen-Mogi publicly,he is one of the Madvanis Supporter and also being groom to by his friend President Museveni for Life Presidency Candidate in Kilak South.
Let us support Hon Gilbert Olanya MP for Kilak South and work as Militant Force to ensure that we suffocate the nonsense Madivani Sugar Land grabbing.
Agricultural sensitization of Farmers and Youths in Amuru District should continue for Economic recovery.The planning meetings to update the Amuru United Farmers Cooperative Society must continue.
BRIBES by the NRM Party Supporters and Pro Life Presidecy elements in Amuru must NEVER be accepted especially in Lakang Area.
This is the time we must Unite Worlwide to protect our Land in Amuru and should be thinking how to become INVESTORS as one member pointed it clearly.