The eviction of people occupying Sango Bay land has been extended by another one more month to allow a final joint assessment of all grievances raised in various reports by the local leaders and the ill-fated occupants.
Prime Minister of Uganda, Robinah Nabbanja made the decision while on a fact-finding mission in Kyotera on Thursday, where she met LCIII chairpersons of the five affected sub-counties of Kyebe, Kakuuto, Kasasa, Kabira and Mutukula town council, MPs, and other district leaders over the various grievances.
This comes just a week after the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Affairs, Rebecca Kadaga visited Kyotera where she said that the Sango bay land issues had been poorly handled.
A combined force of Police and other security agencies led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Godfrey Maate last week gave an ultimatum of only seven days for all the occupants to vacate the 247 square miles.
The said land has been allocated for the expansion of the National Oil Palm Project (NOPP) implemented under the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF).
It is noted that within the seven days, several houses had been erased and crops destroyed during a forceful eviction, but the local leaders and the affected occupants protested the ultimatum saying the seven days could not allow them to collect all their belongings and relocate elsewhere.
During her visit, Nabbanja found fewer occupants on the land required for oil palm growing, several being illegal occupants, and few being bonafide and legal occupants. She also noted that they only need a portion of land for oil palm growing not the five sub-counties as perceived by the public.
The Prime Minister now says they will compensate only two categories including bonafide and legal occupants adding that the illegal occupants will not receive any compassionate compensation as was earlier promised by State Minister for Lands Sam Mayanja.
