A group of more than 200 residents in Kitinda cell, Katabi town council in Wakiso District has threatened to drag National Forestry Authority (NFA) to court over a disputed piece of land.
The land in question borders Kyewaga forest reserve which measures 25 square miles, located 10 kilometers along Entebbe road in Wakiso district.
The locals say the land in question was encroached on by NFA while erecting mark stones to show the boundaries of Kyewaga forest reserve in Wakiso district.
“In August, we saw concrete pillars with NFA tags placed on our plots and on confrontation, the officials who were guarded by armed security personnel referred us to the Wakiso Resident District Commissioner for clarification,” said Paul Mukasa, one of the affected residents.
The locals said none of their Local Council One leaders has ever been briefed about the essence of placing mark stones on their land by the National Forestry Authority.
“I have lived on this land for more than 20 years and I have my land title. How can I leave a piece of land on which I have been living for the last 20 years? Justice should be served to us or else NFA wants to grab our land,” said Philip Jumba who claimed a mark stone was planted in his compound by NFA.
Katabi town council mayor, Ronald Kalema took a swipe at the National Forestry Authority for not going through the right channels while doing their work.
“As local leaders, none of us was informed of the activities of NFA yet people have lived and done business on the land for many years. Why would they(NFA) come out now to claim the land is theirs without consulting local leaders and residents on the ground,” Kalema said.
The group said they have already drafted a letter of intension to sue and have since furnished a copy with the National Forestry Authority awaiting explanation before they proceeding with their suit.
When contacted for a comment, National Forestry Authority spokesperson, Aisha Aibhai blamed the locals for running to the media to have their issues addressed.
She advised them to reach out to the NFA Executive Director to lodge a formal complaint.
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