Incoming Gomba District LCV Chairperson George Abigaba has issued a strong warning to land grabbers, pledging to recover all disputed land in the district even at personal risk once he assumes office on May 21.
Abigaba said the escalating land conflicts in Gomba District are driven by weak leadership and alleged collusion between former leaders and wealthy land speculators.
He argued that the district’s vast stretches of undeveloped and sparsely populated land—particularly in Gomba West Constituency—have made it vulnerable to illegal acquisitions targeting local residents.
“The people of Gomba have suffered throughout the previous term without anyone standing with them. Sadly, some leaders who were supposed to protect them were instead working with land grabbers. That is why the people rejected the former district chairperson and elected me,” Abigaba said.
He described his leadership style as hands-on, insisting he will be frequently in the field rather than confined to office.
“I am George Abigaba, popularly known as ‘Porojjo Man,’ meaning I stand for the common person. I came to serve the poor and oppressed. During my term, you will rarely find me seated in office because I intend to work directly with the people on the ground,” he said.
Abigaba said his previous experience as a sub-county chairperson exposed him to unresolved land disputes that he now intends to revisit with greater authority under his new office.
“There are battles I started before that stalled because they required the powers of an LCV chairperson. Now that I have those powers, I am ready to resume them immediately after my swearing-in,” he added.
He warned individuals currently occupying contested land to seek redress through lawful means, including negotiating refunds from brokers allegedly involved in fraudulent transactions.
“I am prepared either to recover the stolen property of the people of Gomba or die fighting for them,” he said, adding that even powerful figures would not be shielded under his administration if found guilty of illegal land acquisition.
Abigaba also questioned the persistence of land conflicts in a district where President Yoweri Museveni—Yoweri Museveni—has previously intervened, saying he plans to engage the President on resolving the crisis.
He further highlighted the challenges faced by pastoralists evicted from Nsoowe Forest Reserve, noting that many remain unsettled despite earlier government directives on resettlement.
Greater Mpigi has in recent years been one of the hotspots for recurring land disputes, with allegations of political and business actors exploiting weak enforcement systems to acquire land illegally.
Abigaba has pledged that his administration will prioritize land justice and clamp down on corruption networks linked to fraudulent land transactions.
