Kiruhura,
By Devine Atwine.
An 87-year-old widow Florence K. Kafamaisho, a wife of the late James Kafamaisho has been chased from the land she acquired from the Government 56 years ago during Ankole ranching Scheme by her in-laws.
Florence K. Kafamaisho, a resident of Bunonko Village, Embaare parish, Kikatsi Sub-county, Nyabushozi, Kiruhura District, is now crying for justice.
She seeks president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s intervention since the district leadership including the Resident District Commissioner (RDC), the police, and the office of the district chairperson LC5 who were directed to settle the matter were influenced.
She alleges that her in-laws including Moses Karuhanga, Nicholas Kahangire, Moses Ihooza, among others acquired the land title illegally and they want her out of her land.
The land in wrangle is ranch number 11 located in Bunonko Village, Embaare parish, Kikatsi Sub County, Nyabushozi, Kiruhura District.
According to the widow, her Husband James Kafamaisho and his brother, Perez. K Kanyamunyu (all deceased) acquired two square miles in 1965 during Ankole Ranching Scheme and everyone was entitled to one square mile of the land but her in-laws claim that the whole ranch 11 belongs to them.
Florence lamented that after the death of her husband James Kafamaisho and Perez Kanyamunyu (her in-law) respectively, the sons and grandsons of Perez Kanyamunyu organized themselves and they start torturing and chasing her from her land claiming that the land belonged to their father/Grandfather Perez Kanyamunyu.
According to Florence, Late Kafamaisho (her husband) and late Kanyamunyu (her in-law) were twin brothers and the sons and grandsons of Late Kanyamunyu are the ones who are torturing and chasing her from her land located in Bunonko cell, Kiruhura District.
According to the letter dated 11th June 2021 from the office of the area Chairperson LC1, Bunonko’s cell confirmed that the widow reported her in-laws to the LC1 office over torture and attempted to harm/kill her so that they take the land peacefully.
She alleged that her in-laws hired ten men from the Karamoja region armed with arrows and spears whom they use to torture to harm her.
Yoram Tumusiime, the chairperson LC1 Bunonko Cell, also confirmed that the late Kafamaisho and Kanyamunyu were the legal owners of the land, Ranch number 11, and the widow of the Kafamaisho is entitled to her husband’s share equivalent to one square mile.
He alleged that whoever claimed to be having a land title on that land means that in one way or the other, he forged the documents.
However, Muhindo Aminadab, the Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Kiruhura District, and Dan Mukago, the District chairperson confirmed that they are aware of the matter but as leaders, they failed to understand the matter since one party has a land a title of 99 years and another doesn’t have.
Muhindo said that the only solution is to seek justice from courts of law and as leaders, they advised the family of late Kafamaisho, the complainants, to seek help from courts of law.
Dan Mukago further said “President Museveni is aware of the wrangles. He called me three times, directing me and the district security team to intervene and reconcile the two families. We failed because we failed to connect the dots between two families”.
He also revealed that all documents since 1965 show that the land belongs to Kafamaisho and Kanyamunyu but the problem is that Kanyamunyu’s family has a land title which they don’t know if it is genuine or not until one party goes to court to challenge it.
Wrangle over ranch 11 started in 2000, according to the letter from the Land Inspectorate Division, Kampala to the Chairman Mbarara Land Board then dated 11th December 2000.
According to the part of the letter which was signed by A.J. Bwinaguza, the secretary Ranches Committee, confirms that ranch number 11 used to belong to Mr.Kafamaisho and Kanyamunyu.
It further states “I am now made to understand that Mr.Kanyamunyu died and his sons are trying to chase/deny Mr.Kafamaisho the user of this land. The purpose of this letter is to confirm that the two were allocated the land together and if each party wants a title, each is eligible to approximately one square mile”.
In the letter, the family of Kanyamunyu was also requested to stop harassing the family of Kafamaisho.
According to Amb.Ignatius Begumisa Katetegirwe, one of the Ankole Ranching Scheme committee members who participated in selecting the ranchers, someone to qualify as a rancher was supposed either to be an individual, company, or a cooperative society.
According to the documents, the first meeting of the Ranching Selection Board sat on 22nd February 1965 and James Kafamaisho and Perez Kanyamunyu were among the first group to be selected
According to Katetegirwe, they were given ranch number 11 but as a company.
While talking to New Vision at Agip Motel, Mbarara city, Moses Karuhanga, one of the accused, confirmed that the land belonged to them but he denied the allegations of trying to harm or kill the widow by saying that he doesn’t see the season why they should harm the widow who is their mother.
He also said that however much they have a land title, they are not chasing away the late Kafamaisho’s wife, they want to give her only 250 hectares of land.
