A heated confrontation clash of egos between Hawa Ndege Namugenyi, the Buikwe Resident District Commissioner (RDC) and Diana Nankunda Mutasingwa, the Minister of State in the Office of the Vice President, reached a boiling point yesterday.
However, it concluded with RDC Namugenyi in a state of panic pleading with the minister to forgive her, acutely aware that her job was in jeopardy.
The trouble stems from Namugeny’s participation in an unauthorised eviction of residents in Naava Cell, Njeru Municipality.
Acting outside the law, Namugenyi mobilised a raid in which she brought security personnel from the army and police to accompany a group of unregistered bailiffs.
Their mission was to demolish the house of Simon Herbart Alideki which sparked outrage among community members.
Alideki and his sister Stella Nambi had earlier petitioned the High Court in Fort Portal challenging the unfair distribution of their Late father- Simon Peter Kasikisa’s properties by their half-siblings namely Peter Ddamulira, Gerald Kasekende, George Namugera, and Madalena Nakyajja.
However, the siblings chose the High Court in Fort Portal because it held the jurisdiction of their father’s largest estate.
Still, The petition further referenced additional properties located in the Buikwe and Mukono districts. They accused their siblings of selling the deceased’s estate without their consent.
A court injunction further prohibited any developments on the contested estate until the legal dispute was resolved.
Despite the court injunction, the accused siblings, with support from the RDC chose to evict the complainant from the properties.
This defiance of the court injunction escalated the conflict which attracted the intervention of several actors.
However, amid the eviction, Minister Mutasingwa intervened and immediately halted the process. The irate RDC, unaware of the minister’s presence, came out of her vehicle, demanding to know who had the authority to stop the eviction.
“I am in command of this eviction, who is stopping it?”The RDC asked before the minister confronted her directly.
The minister demanded to see the eviction order and minutes from the district security committee endorsing the eviction.
“No one is usurping your powers, do you mind showing me the eviction order, district security committee consent, evidence that you served the aggrieved party, particulars of the bailiff and then I shall leave this place. Or else, stop the destruction of properties right now,” the minister directed.
At this time, RDC Namugenyi remained adamant, seemingly ignoring the minister’s demands. In response, minister Mutasingwa immediately called the office of the Presidency which oversees the RDCs countrywide.
“I am calling Minister Milly Babalanda (in charge of the Office of the President), what kind of nonsense is this, you people are sent to represent the President, instead, you’re misrepresenting him. What makes it hard for you to wait for the court decision to implement the eviction? Who paid you?” Mutasingwa wondered.
When the RDC heard the Mutasingwa was calling Minister Babalanda, the RDC, she started pleading. “Please let us sort this out as adults, don’t call my boss.”
The minister instructed the RDC to join her in her vehicle so they could proceed to Njeru police station to record an official statement.
However, the RDC entered her vehicle, instructing her driver to take off in the opposite direction but the quick-thinking minister instructed her to move ahead and intercept them.
At that moment, the RDC refused to come out of the vehicle making telephone calls. After about twenty minutes of waiting, Mutasingwa received a call, later revealed from Babalanda, asking her to release the RDC assuring that the office of the president would address the matter through alternative means.
The minister returned to the contested land and personally ensured all eviction activities were halted. Afterwards, she went to Njeru police station where she formally recorded a statement against RDC Namugenyi.
She also vowed to write a detailed report outlining the incident and the RDC’s actions.
According to Yasin Kyazze, the Njeru Municipality Mayor, the RDC went behind the district security committee to implement the eviction order.
“I did not know that the minister was also coming here, I received a telephone call from local leaders informing me how the RDC wanted to beat and arrest them for asking questions about this process,” Kyazze noted.
Many residents, particularly bibanja owners in Buikwe, allege that RDC Namugenyi has masterminded illegal eviction, intimidation and threats, significantly complicating their lives.
Last month, the family of the Late Alexander Kiwombojjo accused the RDC of stopping them from using their plots of land because the landlord had not sanctioned long-term projects on plots of the land such as growing sugarcane. She also noted that bibanja owners are not allowed to have plots bigger than three acres.
Nevertheless, the RDC’s actions contradict the recent presidential directive issued at Gomba while celebrating the heroes’ day.
President Yoweri Museveni directed landlords to stop illegal evictions of bibanja holders and charging excessive land fees.
“The landlords who have been charging more than the agreed Busuulu fees by the district must return it, and if they try to evict our people, we shall arrest them. You must pay back all the money you have taken from these people and the evictions are illegal,” Museveni noted before asking the RDCs to step up efforts to ensure that tenants are protected.
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