By David Labeja
Justice Alfonse Chigamoi Owiny Dollo has reiterated the need to divorce politics from development and the common good of the Acholi people.
Owiny Dollo, a judge of the Court of Appeal was today discussing a paper titled ‘‘Piloting the protection of rights to customary land ownership in Acholiland: A research project of the Joint Acholi Sub Regional Leaders Forum.’’
Justice Owiny Dollo is among those attending a conference on land in Acholi which began on Wednesday and will end tomorrow. The conference is taking place at Comboni Centre in Gulu municipality.
Also in attendance is the Acholi Paramount chief, Rwot David Onen Acana II and some of his counterpart chiefs.
Justice Owiny Dollo cited the Apaa land tension that pitted the State against residents and opposition politicians as an example of the politicization of land. In April 2015, a group of elderly women undressed before then internal affairs minister the late Gen. Aronda Nyakairima and his team who had gone to the disputed Apaa land to demarcate the border of Amuru and Adjumni districts.
While residents of Apaa and leaders of Amuru say Apaa is in Amuru district, authorities of Adjumani who appear to be having the backing of the central government claim Apaa is in their district.
Dollo said if land is registered, it still belongs to the families and clans that registered them, but with documented evidence of ownership.
“Take for instance the much politicized acquisition of over 10,000 hectares of land by the Madhivani group of companies in Lakang (Amuru district), if this land was registered, would there be any trouble? Madhivani would go straight to the owners of the land and negotiate with them,” said Justice Owiny Dollo.
Rwot Acana lamented the huge chunks of land sold off by encroachers from West Nile, who claim the land along the Nile River from the eastern side also belongs to them.
Acana urged Owiny Dollo to help the people of Acholi get back these chunks of land so that it can benefit the people of Acholi. In 2014, a group of people from the neighboring Nebbi district crossed the Nile and settled in Got Apwoyo in Nwoya district and claimed the land belonged to Nebbi district.
Justice Owiny Dollo advised the paramount chief to summon all the people who bought the said land and advise them to get back their money from the alleged sellers.
There is growing tension over land ownership in post conflict northern Uganda. Experts have warned that the question of land is a time –bomb with a potential to trigger resource based conflicts.
4 Comments
All the illegally registered/ surveyed land including some currently controlled by so-called “powerful military / political” families will have to be restored to the rightful owners. I will personally invest the legal funds should god grant me life. Got Apwoyo is where future Oil activities will centre. You ARIYA Clan, how come your very TE OKOT Shrine has been allowed to be encroached upon by the late Col. Ochora. This would be unheard of say in Buganda’s Bulange, Kisubi etc. My final advice, protect all the “GOT” area in Acholi due to their traditional / cultural/ historical importance and MINERAL potential. Eg. Lututuru, Agoro, Akwang etc. Kaka gwok te kwaro. The Acholi has gone to school, learned the whitemans language, learned his religion (jok), slept with the white woman, climbed and traveled in the whitemans car, boats, planes etc. Some have acquired land / property, whitemans “jok” / science and almost reached worl-leadreship in UN and US Presidency. Tell me “DOBO” / leprosy “ANG” “ang”, what has bewitched us such that we now allow outsiders to “pyelo chet ikoma wa” like ojwiny-bird? We can easily form an equivalent of formerly Uganda Development Corp except only to develop Acholiland. WE have the GAME PARK (immovable tourist attraction), OIL,Land for Coop Agro-enterprises,Mining. You say oh, it will be too complex, expensive. Read earlier the fact that we have the man-power. Remember pioneers like SEMEI NYANZI Cairman UDC) (An Acholi by the way), Daudi Ocheng, Dr / Mr Odonga (Surgeon), Matthew Odong first black MD Apollo Hotel, several other Acholi managers in 3 star plus Uganda Hotels Chains (for their early Education in the various fields), Lutara (excellent Manager of Uganda Airlines, The 4 excellent Permanent Secretaries of the 60s (Oluoch, Laker etc) , The Olara Otunnu who came close to ruling the world as Secretary General UN, Tom O’lalobo one of the first black East African Commercial Airline Pilots, The Odong Whoolley, Otunu etc (Israel, Greece and Chzec trained pioneer Uganda fighter pilots).
You churches, you have spent time ACQUIRING land and stopped delivering in the area of Education and health. Thanks for Kalongo and Lacoo. We need a Technical University / College to train (upgrade war children) so as to benefit fully from Acholi resources. Question, how many of you have ever seen min-dyel feed (doto) gwok (dog). No way each “oyoo ki wino doge”. Omat Chak will never feed or develop you (20 plus years of war proved that).
Question mr. Justice, why do we accept being called UGANDANs? The 1900 agreement clearly defined UGANDA as being comprised of current Buganda land. Advise of legal session since colonization of Uganda was by treaty. Up to 1930 Bunyoro had not signed an agreement with the British hense not part of Uganda Protectorate.
Therefore Acholi. stop your navel-gazing!!!
The first solution to solving the land question in Acoliland is to remove the corrupt and violent government of Mr Museveni and the NRM. The second is to introduce a just and fair system and process of civil rule in the country. Developing democratic dispensation is the primary responsibility of Acoli and the people of Uganda. At present, the government of Uganda, especially the president, has too much power over deciding who owns land and what to do with land in Uganda. That is a problem in many countries.
In Acoliland, the traditional land tenure system has largely prevented the British colonialists, and now the corrupt government of Uganda, to take land by force from the people of Acoliland. There is a concerted effort to erode the customary land tenure system and registering land in Acoli. That is one of such strategies being promoted by Museveni’s government to take land by force from the people. That is why every proponent of such policies is either ignorant or just an agent of the corrupt system of Museveni’s government.
Acoli people should unite and manage its land collectively, and amicably resolve land disputes and quarrels arising from it. Land registration requires a fixed structure, which government will manipulate to its advantage. The present customary land tenure system is best suited in times of peace and democratic rule. True, it suffers when corruption and state violence is ripe; such as it is now the case in Museveni’s and NRM’s case.
Even under the current violent and corrupt regime, the people can still come together and organise how to use the land for commercial and other purposes. There is no reason why genuine investors should not respect the constitution of Uganda which supports the customary land tenure system. It is naive, if not dishonest, to suppose some sort of registration is more important than the constitution of Uganda. Registration is less important, and actually a recipe for land grab, especially under a corrupt and dictatorial government of Mr Museveni and the NRM.
David Okun
Gin lutela bene myero gunge ni lutino Acoli guket i wilobo, mogo tye mwakki pyeradek ki wiye, anywalli manyen ma pe yak guo i Acoli. Ka ni kicako guro ngom i karapac pi dano ma tye i Uganda ci jo mogo bedo labongo ngom. Lutino ma gi tye i te lum ki i kabedo mukene ni kono?
Acoli should strengthen the traditional system of land ownership and conflict resolutions, thru Rwot Acana, Rwodi, Jago, Mukungu, Nyampara, Rwot Kweri.
Acoli must reject the fiction of commercial farming or leasing land for such activities because in the long run it will never be beneficial to anybody.
Acoli must reject the used of fertilizers for farming, in the long run it will destroy the land and destroy the health of the people.
Acoli must not give any land to anybody else, LANDS is the absolute wealth, we do not eat money.