Thomas Tayebwa, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, has cautioned Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) in the Bunyoro sub-region to desist from presiding over unlawful land evictions.
While speaking at the belated Women’s Day celebrations for Hoima district at Kigorobya Muslim Primary School playground in Kigorobya town council on Saturday, Tayebwa reiterated that President Museveni had halted all forms of land evictions across the country. Therefore, no RDC should disobey the presidential directives on land evictions.
Tayebwa said he had noted the public outcry over the direct involvement of RDCs and their deputies in land grabbing, which has put residents under the threat of forceful evictions. He emphasized that the government would not tolerate such actions.
In 2022, President Yoweri Museveni directed that there should be no land evictions across the country. The president emphasized that no evictions should occur in a district without the District Security Committee, chaired by RDCs, directly consulting the Minister of Lands. He vowed to take action against committee members who fail to heed his directive, excluding the UPDF representative due to their limited involvement.
Furthermore, the president instructed the Chief Justice to prevent magistrates and judges from illegally evicting individuals in collaboration with land grabbers. He directed the Minister for Lands to report judicial officer misconduct for potential legal action.
Tayebwa stated that RDCs involved in fueling land grabbing should be dealt with harshly. He tasked leaders in the region to provide the government with relevant information about RDCs engaging in land grabbing so that immediate action could be taken against them.
