The Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development who also doubles as the government Chief Whip Hon Daudi Migereko has requested the Minister of Defense to immediately investigate the UPDF officers who were reported to Parliament recently by Kilak Member of Parliament Hon Gilbert Oulanya.
Olanya says that Lt Col Palson Obwona from the Chieftaincy of Military Production based in Mbuya claimed that he was acting under the instructions of Maj.Gen Joram Mugume when he recently partitioned land in Kal Parish, Pabbo sub county in Amuru district without any authority from the local government or local officials; the army was brought in to survey the land and put up mark stone on the 6000 hectares of land that may render over 1000 families in the sub county landless.
In his letter dated the 4th of July 2012, the minister writes “I write in reference to the sitting of parliament on the 3rd July ,2012 where honorable Gilbert Olanya-MP Kilak county, Amuru district raised a matter of national importance in regards to allegations of land grabbing in Pabbo sub county by the UPDF.”
The chief Whip implored the defense Minister to investigate the allegation and restrain the officers involved to ensure that the law is observed in the land case since parliament would be expecting a statement from the ministry on the steps it has taken to investigate the allegation and ensure that there is normalcy in Pabbo in Amuru district.
Oulanya said that he is very happy with the response from the Minister of Land and that the army officers must be restrained and brought to book.
“I must say that Lt Col Obwona Palson should be arrested and persecuted for frustrating innocent people by putting mark stones without the consent of the district land Board and the relevant authority but with mere claim that the land was given to the army in 1983, yet he also had no proper documents to proof his claim,” Olanya said.
Oulanya reveled that he has been receiving threatening phone calls from unknown individuals with hidden numbers saying that he is interfering with the work of the army in Amuru and should trade carefully.
But Olanya said that he is not intimidated by threats and will pursue the case to the bitter end and that the “bid headed soldiers” will one day face Justice. He warned that peole in Amuru will not welcome any soldier who comes with the intention of grabbing land because the land grabbers need to understand that land is the only resource left to the people in Acholi region and it is a resource they will defend with their life.
Copy of the letter from Kilak County MP Gilbert Olanya
Copy of the Minister’s letter to the Ministry of Defence
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