When Mugisha Jealousy Mulimba learned that the government of Uganda was dragging him to court, he expected justice. But he says he has realized these courts are being used to deprive him of his rights to a fair hearing and the right to fair and adequate compensation for his land and property.
Kampala, Buliisa, and Hoima —
Mulimba and hundreds of the dependents of the 42 landowners are on the brink of homelessness, facing eviction for refusing to accept the unjust, unfair, and inadequate compensation by TotalEnergies, which is acquiring the land from the peasant farmers on behalf of the government. On December 4, 2023, Uganda's Attorney General's Chamber sued 43 landowners. The suit asked the court to grant the government leave to deposit compensation money in the court so that TotalEnergies could take possession of land for the Tilenga oil and gas project.
"All the cases we filed against the government are still rotting in the courts. The same judiciary hears the case against us by the government in four days. Has the devil taken over our government? We are crying in our hearts, wondering who will help poor people like us," said Kwonka William Mugisa, another landowner.
He, with the permission of the landowners, appealed the ruling to the Court of Appeal to overturn the High Court eviction order and compensation money deposited in the court. Meanwhile, Mulimba, flanked by his wife, Pityedi Mugisa, told IPS that the government, through the court, is trying to force them to accept unfair compensation in the form of cash.
Dickens Kamugisha, a lawyer and Chief Executive of the Africa Institute for Energy Governance , told IPS that the landowners have been trying to meet government officials to ensure that there is fairness and justice. Besides, Kamugisha told IPS that no law provides that the government can go ahead to acquire land and deposit the landowner's compensation in court.
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