By Ruth Anderah
The commission of inquiry into land matters has given two weeks to the over 890 families that were evicted five years ago to pave way for Sugar cane growing in Hoima district, to conduct a mediation meeting with the sugar factory over delayed compensation for their land.
This is after the group petitioned the commission chaired by Justice Catherine Bamugemereire seeking justice for their lost land, property and livelihood all valued at over Shs 82bn.
According to the Civic Response on Environment and Development (CRED), the families was evicted in evicted in 2013 by Hoima Sugar Ltd.
CRED is a Non-Governmental Organisation that is implementing the Community Extractives Governance Project with a view of empowering and facilitating communities to demand for good governance and rule of law.
The project also seeks to address land insecurities faced by communities living in the Albertine Grabben where many communities have been rendered landless by acts of egregious and illegal land-grabbing while others live in fear of imminent eviction.
The victims of the eviction live in an Internally Displaced Peoples’ Camp (IDP) camp in Kijaayo village, Kiziranfumbi sub County.
The land in question, measuring about 9 square miles covers the villages of Kijayo, Ikoba, Muziranduuru, Kyabataka, Kadiki, Buhumuriro, Kyakasoro and Kabango all in Munteme, Bubogo and Kiziranfumbi parishes.
