Residents of Tegawan Parish in Pece Division, Gulu Municipality last week held a demonstration over the forced demolition of their properties that was done in order to pave way for the creation of a ring road in Gulu Municipality.

Gulu municipality recently asked residents to relocate from the area so that structures can be put in place to facilitate the town acquire city status.

The residents say that they were promised compensation but have since waited in vain, and no payment has been forthcoming. 

According to 60 years old Ms Elizabeth Ajok, they were forced to demolish their structures which cost them money, they are unable to move on and set up structures elsewhere without any money to erect those structures. 

Ajok added that she lost “a big building” which was the source of her income: “people were renting my rooms and some grass thatch houses which was helping me and my children with some money for school free and food,” she said. 

Meanwhile another disgruntled resident Ms Margareta Alanyo says that her family has about 14 grave sites on her land which need to be transferred. 

“If we are not compensated, how are we going to transfer our family graves from here?” She asked.

She added that her families don’t have any alternative land to move to at the moment because the road expansion has affected the only land her family has owned since 1960. 

“Some of us have grown up here and our families have been buried here and at the moment we don’t have any area where we can go and settle unless we have been compensated,” she said.

The area LC Chairman Mr Geoffrey Komakech Oginga said that he has repeatedly raised the issue with municipal officials but the Authority has failed to respond adequately. 

Komakech revealed that the Municipality has injected Shs89 million for the construction of roads in the district, but the implementation is not carefully planned.

“There are some people who are sleeping outside because they have been forced to demolish their houses and there has been no compensation; we are going to wait for some weeks if there is no reaction I am going to tell my people to rebuild their structure back,” he said. 

The Municipal Speaker Mr Kelly Komakech who is also LC4 for Pece Division said that the issue of roads has been raise in council meetings in the presence of the Mayor and the Municipal Engineer. 

“The plan for the construction of the roads is already in place, I don’t know why the delay,” he said. 

He added that the residents should be tolerant because he will soon be contacting the office of the Mayor to get an update on the matter.

Gulu Municipality is seeking to acquire city status and has embarked on the expansion of structures in an effort to boost its chances.  It has so far started expanding Gulu to Kitgum road, tarmac roads around the town centre and the expansion of the Ring Road.