Retired UPDF Captain Named in Land Grabbing saga

Capt. Charles Kanyankore on phone after being ganged up by locals

Mbarara | RedPepper Digital – Locals in Katojo ward,  Mbarara City South, Mbarara have ganged up against Charles Kanyankore a Retired Captain of the UPDF army for having intentions to grab the Government Land at Katojo ward offices. 

Kanyankore who is a resident in the same ward is being accused by locals for encroaching a government land and claims it on his behalf that it belongs to him. It has been realized that Kanyankore went a head secretly and processed a land title on this government land without the knowing of the locals yet there was another land title.

On Wednesday this week, a group of locals from Katojo were mobilised by the Mbarara City Speaker Bony Tashobya Karutsya, at the same time the area City Councilor engaged the Mbarara RCC Col. James Mweigye who summoned Kanyankore and visited the land in question to explain how he obtained this land.

RCC Mwesigye tasked Kanyankore to present a genuine land title and explain how he got the land that has been in existence for the ward of Katojo.

At that moment Kanyankore was not with the land title to defend his case, he rather called his surveyor who also came with empty hands claiming that some of the files and certificates are in Entebbe so they can be given like three weeks to present the all needful documents.

In the same case there was  a presence of a city council surveyor who requested that Kanyankore’s surveyor should bring the land title and other documents attached to this case so that they can verify well and survey the actual size of this land. It is said that Kanyankore put a land title on top of Mbarara City Council’s land title.

The land in question is about 10 hectares adjacent to Kanyankore. It was discovered by locals some years ago when Kanyankore started encroaching on this land and started chasing out the people who were using it. It has been used by the Ward/ parish of Katojo renting it to farmers for farming purposes before he came in.

There are two times as the RCC of Mbarara visiting this land that is in conflict and nothing has been solved yet other than ordering that no one should tamper with any properties like trees and gardens of people who had rented there in this land.  That those who have their gardens within this land should continue their activities but no one is allowed to cut off any tree from this land.

“Afande Kanyankore should stop playing foul and undermining us as if we are useless citizens. He found this land belonging to Katojo ward/ parish and no one is allowed to come and claim it,” one of the locals warned.

According to Speaker Bony Tashobya Karutsya told our reporter that Kanyankore is using the influence of being a soldier to grab public properties.

He said they grew up knowing that this Katojo parish land belongs to the government and when he was even a youth councillor he mobilised fellow youths and planted the trees which are within this land. So they cannot allow such a person to come from nowhere and grab their land when the public is watching.  He added that as the council of Mbarara City will not tolerate any culprit intending to grab government properties. 

He mentioned some lands from Rwakishakizi, forestry Ruti and others that are also in contestation over land grabbing.RCC warned anyone intending to grab government lands that no mercy this time he or she will face the law. Kanyankore was granted a period of three weeks upto 29th September 2021 to present his land title and other document.

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