Bukedea, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Residents of Tokor Village in Kabarwa Sub County in Bukedea District have blocked politicians from campaigning on their village to protest the arrest of their chairperson, James Peter Elungat on November 12th, 2020. The LC I Chairperson was picked up by police and briefly detained at Malera Police post before he was whisked to unknown place where he has been incarcerated for close to two months. Since his arrest, the family and local leaders have tried to access him in vain.
His wife and mother of five, Betty Achom has resorted to burning charcoal to fend for the family of nine people. She says that her efforts to see her husband to secure his release on bond or bail have been futile. She says that her husband’s trouble stem from a crisis meeting he convened with residents on the village after accessing minutes of secret meetings by a section of leaders in Bukedea, Ngora and Serere districts on their alleged plans to sell off selected pieces of land in their districts.
Some of the documents obtained by our reporter are related to a meeting held at Speak Resort, Munyonyo on June 12, 2020 involving Members of Parliament from Bukedea, Ngora and Serere districts. The meeting was also attended by some senior army officers and new faces that recently participated and won NRM primaries for parliamentary seats in the said districts.
The document shows that ATLAS Group of Companies is seeking land from Kolir and Kabarwa in Bukedea district, Kodike and Agu in Ngora district and Kamurojo, Abuket and Kateta hill in Serere district. “We want to amend the Mineral Act in Parliament. If you don’t behave like (two MPs are mentioned) who have not been accepting to sign our documents to allow us carry out EIA…but with or without them, we are done with EIA for the whole of Teso…”, one of the army generals is quoted in the document that put the LC1 in trouble.
According to Achom, her husband was only concerned when members in the village cried out to him to help seek clarification from the district authorities on why their land had been targeted by investors. Achom says that since her husband was taken, she lives in fear with her entire family.
She notes much as the letters were leaked to the village, the content in them attracted attention from more than 1,000 people who convened within the shortest time to discuss the hidden plans.
“I last saw my husband on November 12th, 2020 and followed up with the matter at Bukedea CPS but I was told that he had been remanded at the quarantine center in Kumi. I walked to Kumi after three days but didn’t find him there. I have children who have been transfused with blood and they need help, it is been their father who was a sole breadwinner in the family,” she said.
The disappearance of the LC1 has forced residents to bar politicians from canvassing votes on the village. Wilson Opolot Ekunyuk, a resident of Tokor Village says that unless a politician promises or comes with their chairman, there is no need to listen to their manifestos.
Joseph Otimong, another resident in the village says they are all living in fear and uncertainty especially after learning that their land is targeted by scrupulous investors.
Sam Okia, the father to the LC 1 chairperson says that he was also denied access to his son several times and later told to return home and look after his grandchildren. He also revealed that between March –June last year, a team of officers from the ministry of energy and mineral development in company of armed officers and Bukedea RDC, surveyed the area, adding that when they received minutes of the meeting from people of goodwill over the possible takeover of Tokor land, they got scared.
Simon Ocokit, Officer in Charge Malera Police Post admits arresting the LC 1 following what he described as orders from above. He explains that he later handed over the LC 1 to Bukedea CPS.
His boss, Ezra Tugume, the Bukedea District Police also admits receiving the LC 1 chairperson, saying he was remanded to Kumi prison upon being produced in court over charges of forgeries and inciting violence. However, the Bukedea County MP, Bosco Ikojo says the arrest of Elungat speaks volumes about the looming land injustices, where transgressors are free and those whose rights are violated are treated as suspects.
“I tried to reach out to the DPC to find out charges preferred against the LC1 but nothing concrete came out of him. I later learnt that the LC1 was forcefully quarantined to Kumi prison but on reaching there, I didn’t find him. The security agencies must produce the LC1 in court and allow his people access to him for possible bail out. It’s no longer an arrest but kidnap!” he said.
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