Summary:
- The destroyed plantation is part of a 60-acre stretch of land that extends from Rwanyangye Parish in Kamwezi Sub-County to Nyakitabire Hill in Muhanga Town Council. Rukiga District Police Commander, Hussein Niwagaba, confirmed the incident, stating that the destruction occurred early Saturday morning around 4:00 a.m.
RUKIGA: A section of angry residents in Nyabubaare Village in Rwanyangye Parish, Kamwezi Sub-County, have destroyed a two-acre banana plantation reportedly belonging to 91-year-old Valeriano Kibahigiire Kambamu in Rukiga District.
The destroyed plantation is part of a 60-acre stretch of land that extends from Rwanyangye Parish in Kamwezi Sub-County to Nyakitabire Hill in Muhanga Town Council. Kambamu is currently embroiled in a legal dispute over this land, having sued eight individuals, including the former Rukiga Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Fred Nayebare Kyamuzigita, for criminal trespass and is claiming ownership of the contested area.
Rukiga District Police Commander, Hussein Niwagaba, confirmed the incident, stating that the destruction occurred early Saturday morning around 4:00 a.m.
According to Niwagaba, during investigations, Police discovered that one of the respondents in the main suit, Laban Tumuranze, who is Kambamu’s immediate neighbor, allegedly conspired with four other individuals to cut down the plantation. The other suspects, whose identities are being withheld to avoid jeopardizing the investigation, are also in police custody.
Commander Niwagaba warned against taking the law into one’s own hands and urged residents to consult the relevant authorities, as “two wrongs cannot make a right.” He added that once investigations are complete, the suspects will be charged in court for malicious damage.
CUE IN NIWAGABA………ON ARREST……RR/ENG//.
On August 21, 2024, the Kabale Chief Magistrate Court had postponed a ruling on whether Fred Kyamuzigita and the other accused had defied a court order barring them from trespassing on the disputed land. The court ruling was stayed pending a decision from the Kabale High Court on an appeal filed by the accused, who sought leave to contest the interim order against them. The High Court is set to deliver its ruling on January 16, 2025.
