Fear has griped residents of Kasilo village, Kamod Parish, Bugondo Sub County, Kasilo County in Serere District over persistent attacks by suspected machete wielding gangs due to a disputed ancestral land.
The land dispute involves human rights defender Moses Omiat whom the Soroti High Court declared as the rightful owner against Serere District Local Government.
The latest in the series of attacks allegedly happened on December 9, this year when a group of thugs armed with machetes attacked Omiat’s people who stay on the said land and inflicted injuries onto them.
A brand new motorcycle that had been secured on loan, was among the property destroyed on that night of attack.
The disputed land is situated on Kasilo-Kamod Road opposite the prominent Kasilo weekly cattle market. The land measures 150 acres.
One of the December 9 attack victims, Samuel Alianu 80, said a machete wielding gang has continuously attacked and assaulted them, the natives on the land who try to resist the continuous destruction of trees and other property on the land.
“We are not at peace, every day and night those strangers come around our compounds to threaten us, they say they will kill us if we continue resisting against their move of settlement on our land,” Alianu said.
Another resident, Philipo Amwata, 78, claimed the attackers target the witnesses who testified during the Soroti High Court proceedings that saw Mr Omiat last year declared the rightful owner of the said disputed land but he has never been allowed to enjoy his land.
“You see me like this; my life is at risk. They say, I will die at any time because I spoke the truth to testify against the district. They have bought new machetes specifically for us,” Mr. Amwata claimed at the weekend.
According to him, the district leadership is behind the attacks, having lost the court battle.
Mr. Patrick Ewalu another resident said the district leaders claim they will not vacate the land because they have the backing of presidential backing to stay on the land.
Mr. Deus Maniragaba, the OC CID Serere Police Station confirmed the last week’s attacks before he quickly said the situation has been calmed down.
The officer explained that the locals on the land were injured as they attempted to stop the attackers from cutting down the trees on the said piece of land.
But Omiat avers that the repeated attacks on his people coupled with massive destruction of trees and other property onthe land, is aimed at justifying the narrative that he wants to evict an entire village whereas not.
The ownership of this land has been in dispute since 2016 when Omiat in his capacity as the administrator of the estate of his late father George Amolo, sued Serere District Local Government. After a protracted legal battle that spanned over six years, Justice Henry Adonyo last year in his verdict, ruled that Omiat is the rightful owner and not Serere District Government.
Further in his verdict, Justice Adonyo, ordered four local district officials identified as Mr. Stephen Ejanyu and Mr. Soustine Olinga to pay Shs320m as compensation to Omiat for having encroached on his land.
Despite the verdict of the court being in his favour, Omiat hasn’t been allowed to use his land coupled with constant attacks on his people who stay on the same land.
He claims there are powerful politicians in the Teso sub region who are behind the attacks onto his people.
When contacted, the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Serere, Richard Bukone Sajjabi vowed not to compensate Omiat until they have exhausted all the court appeal processes.
