Africa-Press – Uganda. Embattled Masaka City Resident City Commissioner (RCC) Ronald Katende, who is on suspension over alleged involvement in illegal land eviction, has blamed his woes on a group of ‘mafias’ and land grabbers in the city.
Mr Katende said the ‘mafias’, who he claimed have been working with a section of staff in his office, have been “plotting his downfall ever since he assumed office in March last year”.
“I don’t know the exact language in which this word mafia originates, but the practice of mafiaism is growing at a high speed in this country. It is on a higher level that it’s even eating into top offices in Masaka. It also involves leaders who side with land brokers,” he said while handing over office to his deputy and now acting Masaka RCC, Mr Ahmed Kateregga Musaazi, on Wednesday.
Mr Katende said Masaka City is stuck with the challenge of land conflicts and his office has done a lot in trying to bring sanity.
Last month, the Minister for Presidency, Ms Milly Babirye Babalanda, suspended Mr Katende over failure to execute the presidential directive on land evictions.
It is alleged that Katende aided the eviction of a poor family from its ancestral land at Kasijagirwa Village in Kimaanya – Kabonera Municipality in Masaka City without following the right procedures.
Asha Nakanwagi, 87, and Teo Nabukeera, accuse Katende of siding with businessmen Francis Mbuga, Deus Kakeeto and January Kalega to illegally evict them from their piece of land.
Mr Katende said after the Kasijagirwa incident, a lot has happened, according to the preliminary investigations. He pleaded for a quick, free and fair inquest into his alleged misconduct, saying he was not dismissed as some of his critics claim.
“I was transferred from Masaka to the headquarters for further deployment as investigations go on. If the investigators find that I was involved in the alleged misconduct, the law is clear and if they find otherwise, I will be exonerated,” he added.
Mr Kateregga, a veteran journalist, said it was surprising that land matters that can easily be solved at village and parish levels end up at the RCCs office.
“Some of the land issues we receive in office could easily be handled at the parish level, but all residents run to the RCC, and acting on the pressure, you may end up making avoidable mistakes. When you look at the court order issued in respect to Kasijjagirwa land, it had nothing to do with eviction, but we have trust that the investigators will get to the bottle of this matter,” he said.
He pledged to work closely with village and parish committees to address land conflicts.
Background
On February 28, 2022, President Museveni issued a directive prohibiting any eviction even if it is sanctioned by the court without the consent and directive of the district security committee chaired by the Resident District Commissioner and direct consultation with the Minister of Lands.
However, legal experts have since protested the process describing it as illegal since court orders cannot be subjected to another examination outside the judicial system.
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