AMURU MP RALLIES LOCALS TO REGISTER THEIR LAND.

By

ABALO IRENE OTTO

Kilak South MP Gilbert Olanya today asked the people of Amuru district to register their land in a wake of multiple land conflicts in the district among families, clans and state agencies, communities and investors. Olanya was addressing the media today in Gulu town as part of the Land Awareness Week in Amuru that seeks to engage the community in knowing their land rights.

The event is organized by the Ministry of Lands Housing and Urban Development in Amuru Sub County in Amuru district in the 12 parishes of Atoro, Bana, Layima, Lajalula, Pamuca, Lakang, Kololo, Ngiy, Labongogali, Layamu, and Ayila.

The Land Awareness Week on the theme “Together we protect our land,” is to conduct open public sensitization at parish levels, music exhibition on land rights, and media engagement through radio talk shows and mobile legal clinics to contain the situation in Amuru.

Olanya says that Amuru has endless land conflicts because of the vast unregistered land that the district possesses.

“If you go to the ministry of land, on the map of Amuru district, it shows that the land is vacant. That is why anybody will go to the ministry of Land and identify the area then come on the ground then start processing the land title minus the community knowing how they got their document.”

Olanya says the major problem the community has is ignorance of how to have documents for their land. In the ministry of Lands, Omer a parish in Amuru Sub County is vacant land yet the community are settled in the area.

“That is why we are mobilizing people in Amuru, let each and every family in Amuru start documenting there land. The world is modernizing so rapidly and if you insist on customary ownership, you will be left out automatically without your land.” Olanya added.

A team of ten lawyers have been hired to offer their services for free to sensitize the community and also tell them the rightful procedures of acquiring the land.

Participatory Ecological Land Use Management, PELUM Uganda, the NGO at the forefront of organizing the event in partnership with Amuru district Local Government, Eastern and Southern Africa Farmers Forum, ESAFF, Action Aid, International Justice Mission Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative, ARLPI and The Legal Aid Service Providers Network, LASPNET among others.

Moses Otim, a project coordinator with PELUM Uganda, says they hope to strengthen roles and coordination of various stake holders and document issues for proactive move on land matters.

“Amuru has always been reported as a hotbed for land wrangles. We know people want to settle in the fertile land in Amuru. We want people to know their land rights and use it to protect their true land.” Says Otim.

One of the most contested land in Kololo in Amuru sub county is the over 10,000 hectares of land that Madivani wants to grow sugar cane in that affects less than 20 individuals but compensation costs about 20 billion shillings.

Otim adds that the land conflict is hindering productive use of land to benefit the community that is still recoverying from the over two decade’s insurgency.

According to reports from Amuru police, 90% of cases reported are land related.