Editorial
A fresh complaints of land grabbing and illegal displacement allegedly linked to some influential migrant cattle keepers have been registered in Amuru district.
One of the cases involved businessman James Tumwine, who is accused of illegally occupying up to 750 acres of land in Kalacut Village, Labala Parish.
Area leaders told a meeting on Thursday that Tumwine entered into a land sale agreement in 2022 to acquire 301 acres of land at UGX 96M, but allegedly failed to complete payment while continuing to use the land for grazing cattle.
Residents further alleged that he later expanded his occupation to cover approximately 750 acres.
Under the agreement with the with the family members of Albertino Ongom Ocelo, Tumwine was expected to pay a second instalment of UGX40M in Sept. 2022 and clear the remaining balance of 46 million Shillings by January 2023.
Simon Oyet Awira, the LC I Chairperson of Kalacut Village, who was among the signatories to the agreement, said Tumwine initially paid 10 million Shillings out of the agreed purchase price of 96 million Shillings.
However, Oyet, who was among the signatories to the agreement, alleged that Tumwine never completed the payments despite continuing to use the land for grazing hundreds of cattle. Amuru Resident District Commissioner Geoffrey Osborn Oceng said security personnel had already removed Tumwine’s cattle from the contested land to allow investigations to proceed. However, Tumwine denied the allegations, insisting that he legally acquired the land and possesses valid documentation.
