OPEN LETTER ON THE THEFT OF LAND BELONGING TO THE FAMILY AND RELATIVES OF BISHOP SHALITA BY THUGS ACTING WITH PEOPLE CONNECTED TO STATE HOUSE
By: AGABA LAZARUS [Grandson of the Late Bishop Kosia Shalita].
Your Excellency, kindly receive greetings from our family and appreciation for all the good things you have done for our country. I hope our letter finds you in great health. The children and grandchildren of the late Bishop Shalita are tormented, aggrieved and emotionally drained and at this point, we believe that other than the Almighty God in heaven, it is only you to save us because all that needed to be done through all known legal channels has been done but still, we have been repeatedly denied our well-deserved justice, after winning 7 court cases regarding our land.
For purposes of clarity, the late Bishop Shalita acquired the land in issue in the early 1960s.
Since then to date, we the family and relatives of the Late Bishop Shalita have occupied
the land in Omukyera, Kimoomo, Kikatsi Sub county in now Kiruhura District.
Your Excellency, in the liberation struggle in the 80’s, you fought against injustice, disregard to law and impunity and forced grabbing of private property in the country especially using state security personell and by people close to state power. It is quite
absurd that this is exactly what is happening to Bishop Shalitas family. Mzee, in March,
2022, the Kajundiras with the support of some people connected to Your Excellency forcefully invaded our ancestral land with guns, spears, pangas, machettes and other deadly weapons and descended on our household and livestock injuring, killing and destroying our household, livestock and property with impunity and sadly, all this was being done
under the watchful eye and protection of the Uganda police of Kiruhura district., who openly say they cannot help us because your relatives want our land.
Your Excellency, the Kajundiras attempted to grab our land in late 60’s. The matter was referred to court and they lost. They appealed and lost the appeal. They were evicted in 1997. They made several other attempts to return on our land but at all times, the law was upheld and they were instructed never to return on our land. In 2015, they attempted to return and were sent away under the instructions of the then IGP, In 2018, they made another attempt to return and they were evicted on the instructions of the then CDF.
They then forcefully with the use of deadly weapons and the help of police and members of your household returned in March, 2022 to torment us which sadly they have continuously and successfully done with the protection of the Uganda Police. Instead of enforcing law and order, the Uganda Police in Kiruhura helps law beakers to continuously break the law and oppress innocent Ugandans all because your rlatives have openly vowed, we will never have our land. In your own letter of 8th November, 2023, Your Excellency said;
“……This impunity and lack of respect for the rule of law must not be allowed to prevail in this country…”. In the same letter, Your Excellency further directed the IGP among others that; “… you immediately evict the family of Late Kajundira, their agents and anyone deriving any right or claim over the said land from them. Disciplinary action should be taken against the police and army officers who facilitated their illegal reoccupation of the land. All other persons involved should be prosecuted…”. For the record, when the Kajundiras invaded our land in 2022, they went to court themselves to reverse the previous rulings of courts of 90’s but court dismissed their application and ordered them to vacate the land because they were in contempt of court. They went to the Court of Appeal but Court of Appeal upheld our right to the land and sanctioned the eviction of the Kajundiras.
Why aren’t the court orders implemented? Because your relatives are the ones supporting the invaders and it is your relatives in actual occupation of our land. Your Excellency, when these wrong doers invaded our land, our family filled an application for contempt of court orders by the Kajundira family and court ruled in our favor indeed confirming that the invaders were in contempt of court and the court issued an eviction order against them and held the government officials involved in contempt of court. It is however so unfortunate that the police which is supposed to prosecute these criminals, is the one assisting and guarding them, because they are under the influence of your relatives.
Your Excellency, our father/grandfather who was well known to you died in 1995 when court of law had already confirmed in 1994 that indeed the land belongs to him. Sir, people like late Mutashwera and late Mungonya were respectable leaders in Ankole and they testified in court that the land in issue belongs to the late Bishop Shalita. The late Eric Birangeire who was also well known to you and whose land neighbors our land also testified in court that the land in issue belongs to Bishop Shalita and his family.
Your Excellency, I wish to remind you that you gave a directive in November 2023 to evict these invaders and prosecute whoever was involved but you later halted your directive. After halting your directive, it was like giving the invaders a green path to instead cause more harm to our family. Your relative instead gathered people to overturn the court findings and decisions. Videos where they were planning against court judgments have indeed been shared on social media. For this reason, the 7 court judgments cannot be respected or implemented because of your relatives. They have occupied our land and destroyed our houses.
Your Excellency, we have attached pictures of some of our property that was damaged by the Kajundira’s and those backing them up in broad day light.
Sir, we know that you respect the rule of law and constitutionalism. We kindly pray you intervene and save the situation because we are now homeless and frustrated after getting several eviction orders but none can be implemented by law enforcement officers. Our houses were demolished, animals killed and invaders are heavily guarded by armed men.
Your Excellency, the Attorney General has on several occasions advised the relevant agencies confirming that the land in issue belongs to the family of late Bishop Shalita and that the invaders should be evicted and prosecuted. He recently in a letter dated 17th July 2024 advised the Minister of Lands to cancel the tittles that were obtained illegally by the Kajundiras. This was also confirmed by the courts of law. However, the Commissioner for Land Registration openly told us that your relatives instructed him not to cancel the titles!
Sir, recently, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, in his letter of which we received a copy, requested that you take action and implement your directive of evicting the invaders, order for the cancellation of the illegally obtained tittles by the Kajundiras and prosecution of everyone that was involved in illegal invasion on our land.
As a family and citizens of this country, we believe we too have a right to quiet possession and enjoyment of our land. It is our humble prayer and petition that you hear our outcry and come to our rescue. We pray that you bring to an end this impunity and lack of respect for the rule of law and order the removal of these invaders from our land. This is what you fought against, but it is exactly what we are suffering, all because of wrongdoers using state connections to act above the law.