Maverick junior Lands minister Dr Sam Mayanja has pleaded with Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba the Chief of Défense Forces (CDF) to intervene by picking interest into the allegations made by women and men in Busoga accusing the Special Forces Command (SFC) Commandos assigned to guard the Kyabazinga of Busoga William Nadiope of rape and torture.
Mayanja said that after receiving several petitions from bibanja holders in Mafubira Sub County in Jinja district claiming that they were receiving eviction threats and harassment from Busoga Kingdom leadership, he picked interest in the matter and investigated the gist of it before he made a locus visit.
He explained that as he was investigating the claim, he landed on a letter written by the then presidential private secretary Kenneth Omona directing the Ministry of Lands to intervene and save the people of Mafubira from being evicted from their bibanja noting that president Museveni was following the matter after receiving a complaint from then Speaker of parliament Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga
He said that the complaint was also addressed to Gen Wilson Mbadi Mbasu the former CDF because a certain Captain Mugoya was accused of commanding the violent actions against bibanja holders, but till now nothing was done
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“Our people in the Ministry of Lands were scared to intervene into this issue because by that time the Kyabazinga was planning for his wedding,” Mayanja said
He said that after establishing the facts concerning the said land, he decided to execute the presidential directive and visited the locus where he found women giving testimony on camera narrating how SFC soldiers arrested them from their homes and took them to Igenge hill where Kyabazinga’s official palace is and forcefully raped and tortured them and their husbands and a number of them are still nursing wounds.
He added that there was also a religious leader too who also narrated how he was humiliated at Igenge hill and afterwards he was taken to police and grilled on how he got the piece of the kibanja he owns. He was only released after presenting documents he signed for him when he was buying the said kibanja.
He claimed that people have been on that piece of land for a long time and legally own it insisting that Kyabazinga through his prime minister Joseph Muvawala are violating the law by using SFC commandos to evict bonafide bibanja owners well knowing that the president issued a directive stopping bibanja illegal eviction countrywide
“The CDF should look for another uniform for those people providing security to cultural leaders because they are their principals. Some of them are abusing their uniform by using it as a weapon to fight their private fights something that is annoying the public and placing the entire UPDF in bad light,” Mayanja said.
He added that the piece of land in question is owned by people of Busoga not Kyabazinga himself as he claims. He warned that if the Kyabazinga proceeds with actions of fighting with his people over land, they will also turn against him much as they are still appreciating President Museveni for restoring cultural institutions in the country.
“I told one of Kyabazinga’s ministers who were present to record people when they were crying. The people even refused to sing the Kingdom anthem. I told Muvawala that he is not above the law, he will be arrested and imprisoned if they continue breaking the law,” the minister said
However, Muvawala responded to Mayanja that the said land is owned by Obwakyabazinga on behalf of the people of Busoga. He added that he will not allow the kingdom land be grabbed because of threats from the minister.
