NEWS– Hon. Francis Mwijukye, the Buhweju County Member of Parliament, subscribing to the opposition Forum for Democratic Change- FDC is demanding an explanation from the Police regarding their support for land grabbers.
Hon. Mwijukye points out that the blood he shed at the hands of criminal gangs should be the last drop shed in Buhweju over land disputes.
It should be remembered that MP Mwijukye was attacked on May 12th 2024 at St. Jude, Rwanyamabale Catholic Church in Buhweju District by a gang of goons that pelted stones onto him and the Western Uganda based journalist.
The attack left the legislator nursing head injuries, currently receiving treatment at Nkasero Hospital after a referral from Mbarara where he was rushed for first aid.
Here below is Hon. Mwijukye’s statement on the attack:
As I lie in deep pain at Nakasero Hospital, I pen this letter to the Uganda Police and other security agencies, hoping it becomes a catalyst for the protection of millions of suffering Ugandans due to land grabbing.
As you may now know, I am in the hospital after being attacked by hired goons on Sunday, May 12, 2024, at St. Jude, Rwanyamabale Catholic Church in Buhweju District. Being hit in the head with a panga and a stick with nails and surviving is a miracle. Had it not been for God’s grace, I would not be alive to tell this story. This incident reflects the decay and rot of systems in Uganda and the fate that ordinary people face if unchecked.
I am a member of the Butare Catholic Parish Council, in charge of the Parish land, including St. Jude, Rwanyamabare Catholic Church. This church has existed for many years. The disputed land also houses a school, a community water source, tea gardens, and several homesteads.
Frank Kamugisha and his son Edwin, a lawyer, are claiming ownership of this land and attempting evictions without court orders, opting instead to use force. They have fenced off the land, preventing Christians from accessing the church, children from attending school, and locals from fetching water or accessing their gardens. To enforce their impunity, Edwin Burimbare has hired goons (Kanyamas) who are not known in the area and housed them near the church without introducing them to local authorities.
Prior to the Sunday incident, these goons terrorized locals, beating them as they tried to access the church and allegedly raping young girls on their way to school. On May 11, 2024, the area LC1 Chairperson and Sub County Councilor intervened, but the goons beat them up, prompting a demonstration by locals and police intervention.
Shockingly, the police dispersed the locals gathered at the church instead of arresting the accused goons. Without any court order, Kamugisha had no justification, revealing a clear case of collusion.
The church leaders called me, afraid they would not be allowed to attend Sunday prayers. I promised to pray with them the following day. After prayers at around 4:00 PM, as we gathered outside the church, the hired goons emerged from Kamugisha’s house opposite the church, armed with pangas, sticks, and machetes, and started beating everyone, including a TV West journalist, Kyarisiima, whose camera was destroyed, and laptop confiscated. About ten people sustained injuries.
As I tried to intervene, Kamugisha and two of his goons approached me with pangas and machetes. I thought they were coming to dialogue with me. Unfortunately, Kamugisha punched me in the face, and I fell as one of the goons swung to cut my head with a panga. If I had remained standing, my head would have been chopped in two.
However, since I was falling, the panga’s force was reduced. Simultaneously, another goon hit me with a stick that had nails, but the nails missed my head as I turned. I was rescued by the Christians, who carried me into the church. Armed with pangas, the locals could not confront the goons, who ran back to Kamugisha’s house.
The police responded an hour later, claiming they needed to save my life first and took me to Nsiika Health Centre IV for first aid. The goons stayed in Kamugisha’s house overnight, leaving the next day at around 9:00 AM. Police pursued them at 11:00 AM, two hours after they left, and 15 hours after the attack.
If this is not collusion, why didn’t the district police bring enough manpower to arrest the goons? Why did the police let these goons terrorize people for over three weeks? Why didn’t the police deploy at the church that day? Why did the police wait for the goons to leave before pretending to pursue them?
This incident confirms that the district police side with the rich, regardless of whether they are right or wrong. It makes me wonder if the police in Buhweju still keep law and order or if they now protect lawbreakers and promote disorder.
While these incidents have been happening in Buganda and around Kampala, we thought it was due to the high value of land and assumed the government was dealing with it. Now that such incidents have reached deep villages like Buhweju, where people are vulnerable, who will survive?
Has the state abandoned its mandate and handed it over to militias and paramilitaries? If an MP can be beaten and his head nearly shattered by goons without anyone being arrested, what will happen to the ordinary citizen?
Police in Buhweju must explain why they support land grabbers. My blood, shed by criminal gangs, should be the last drop shed in Buhweju over land matters.
By Mwijukye Francis
MP Buhweju County and Shadow Minister for Works and Transport
