Grapevine

Evictees speak out on how they acquired land in Lubigi

Lubigi wetland catchment area in the northern and western outskirts of Kampala, has been in the news for weeks after the environment watchdog, the National Environment Management Authority (Nema), evicted several of its occupants for encroaching on the wetland.

Currently, several of those who were evicted spend sleepless nights in the cold as they wait on the government to compensate them because they claim they acquired the land legally.

The evicted residents, some of whom had settled in the area for decades, said the place was encroached upon after the National Resistance Army (NRA) Bush War of 1981-1986 that ushered President Museveni into power.

Residents who lived in the area at the time said the land, originally belonging to Buganda Kingdom, had few occupants who had plots of land (bibanja) stretching from the main road to the wetland.

Ms Teopista Kaweesa, 75, a resident of Nansana West II A, said she settled in the area in the 1960s at the age of 17 and found less than 10 residents.