The controversy surrounds Kazibwe, a cattle farmer, who has been accused by local residents of aggressive tactics to remove tenants from land he recently purchased. Reports from the community indicate that Kazibwe not only forced residents off the land but also arrested several individuals, destroyed homes, and desecrated graves. Mr. Donanto Kikawa, the LC1 Chairman of Budonga Village, detailed that although Kazibwe legally bought land from three residents, the area was home to several tenants who Kazibwe subsequently tried to evict with the aid of armed forces.
In a decisive move to protect the rights of local residents, Hon Sam Mayanja, the Minister of State for Lands, has ordered the arrest of businessman Moses Kazibwe in Gomba district, following allegations of harassment and illegal eviction. During a local locus meeting, Minister Mayanja instructed the local police to detain Kazibwe and charge him with malicious damage, forceful entry, criminal trespass, and disturbing the peace of the dead.
Sam Mayanja
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Kikawa himself claimed to have been arrested twice by Kazibwe's operatives. He described an incident where he attempted to intervene in a conflict between locals and Kazibwe’s henchmen, only to be detained and taken to Mpigi police station. “The second time, they found me at my home early in the morning and arrested me in my underwear,” Kikawa recounted, detailing his subsequent remand to prison for two weeks.
Deputy RDC Gomba District, Mr. Noor Njukyi Mbabali, along with Phiona Barungi, Senior Presidential Assistant Special Duties, and Wakiso RDC Justine Mbabazi, intervened in the escalating situation. Their efforts led to the release of all arrested individuals and assurances to those displaced to return to their land.
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Barungi, acknowledging the severity of the situation, reached out to Minister Mayanja to seek further governmental intervention, as Kazibwe’s actions continued despite their initial efforts. In his ruling, Minister Mayanja referred to President Museveni’s stern directives against the forceful eviction of tenants, declaring that Kazibwe had essentially "bought air" given that the land already had bona fide occupants.
Furthermore, Mayanja ordered the arrest of all individuals who assisted Kazibwe in these forceful evictions, to be charged as accessories to the crime.
Despite the charges, Kazibwe has denied all allegations of wrongdoing, asserting that he legally acquired the land and did not carry out any evictions. He also threatened to sue Minister Mayanja for defamation, escalating the legal standoff.
