Dozens of children and elderly persons in Kasese Municipality have been left stranded on the streets, claiming they are facing starvation following the eviction of land conflict victims from a camp at the district headquarters.
The Kasese District Security Committee, chaired by the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Lt. Joe Walusimbi, last week ordered the closure of the camp, which had hosted people displaced by ongoing land disputes.
The committee said the eviction was prompted by poor sanitation, security concerns, and stalled infrastructural works at the site.
The camp was set up nearly three months ago after families from different parts of the district occupied the RDC’s compound, demanding government intervention in their land wrangles.
State Minister for Lands, Dr. Sam Mayanja, later visited and directed the people to return to their homes as government surveyors worked to open boundaries and issue land titles within three months. However, many resisted leaving, citing lack of alternative settlement.
Following the eviction, security operatives were deployed to block re-entry into the camp, leaving several children and elderly residents stranded in Kasese town.
Seven-year-old Elvin Mbambu, who says her mother is still camped at the RDC’s office, told our reporter she now survives on leftovers collected from garbage points.
Thirteen-year-old Linnet Muhindo described sleeping in unsanitary conditions and exposure to mosquito bites, while 16-year-old Sajoni Talimwa from Bunyangabu pleaded with government to reverse the eviction to allow children to reunite with their parents.
Seventy-five-year-old Fedress Kabugho, another evictee, complained that she cannot afford fees to use municipal public toilets, while Living Lobe, a leader of the stranded group, appealed for urgent support from government and civil society organizations.
The RDC maintains that the eviction was necessary to restore order at the municipal premises as government finalizes resolution of the disputes.
