Land in Kayunga district is rapidly becoming the source of all. Previously it was royalty; now a group of Christians from Kayunga Catholic Parish in Kayunga Town, Kayunga District, spent Thursday night guarding a two-acre piece of contested land, which they insist belongs to them but was allocated to Kayunga Regional Referral Hospital (KRRH) by State Minister for Lands, Mr. Sam Mayanja.
Click here to join our WhatsApp Group and Receive Daily News
The land in question is situated next to the hospital, and the church began constructing a nursing school on it in 2023. Only for the district authorities to order them to halt the project, asserting that the land belongs to the hospital.
It is against this background that Rev. Fr Emmanuel Walakira, the parish priest of Kayunga Catholic Parish, petitioned the Ministry of Lands, prompting Minister Mayanja’s intervention on Tuesday.
Mr. Mayanja visited Kayunga District to mediate as invited over the two-acre piece of land. However, he sided with the hospital and granted it the prime piece of land.
“Why did the government compensate for the land used to construct other hospitals across the country in 1965? During that time, there were no crooks like there are today who could have swindled that money. Additionally, at that time, there was no Lugazi Diocese; it was the Kampala Archdiocese. It’s possible that those at the Archdiocese may have received the compensation,” Mayanja rationalized.
Mr. Mayanja, however, promised that the church would receive “compassionate compensation” if it is proven that no compensation was made in the 1960s.
The Catholics protested the minister’s decision, vowing to fight for the land, which they said was donated to them by the late Maliko Kunsa in 1924. It is on this land that the first Catholic Church in the area was constructed.
They returned to the land, lit a bonfire, and spent the night guarding it.
“We are grieving the giveaway of our land to the hospital by the minister. We will stay here for as long as it takes, guarding our land,” said Mr. Ssalongo Kibirige, the treasurer of Kayunga Catholic Parish.
Mr. Kibirige stated that they cannot afford to lose such a prime piece of land.
Mr. Emmanuel Kayemba, the officer in charge of estates at the parish, vowed to mobilize the Catholic faithful to begin praying on the land.
Ms. Rosette Sikahwa, the Kayunga District Police Commander, stated that she would order the group to disperse, as the minister had instructed her to ensure the hospital carries out its development activities on the contested land without interruption.
Also Read: Authorities Launch Investigations as Anthrax Kills Two in Kazo
