Written By | Jovita Hasto
Mr Robert Mwesigye Kimunyu holding one of the coffee trees that were destroyed. Over 6000 coffee trees were destroed. [PHOTO: JOVITA HASTO]
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IBANDA
Children of the late George William Kimunyu have raised concerns over the destruction of a coffee plantation in a suspected family land wrangle.
The coffee plantation belongs to Mr Robert Mwesigye Kimunyu and Mr Patrick Tumwebaze, residents of Rwobuzizi III Cell, Nsasi Ward, in Ibanda Municipality. The incident occurred on the eve of Friday, 27, when Mr Mwesigye, one of the eldest sons of the late Kimunyu, discovered that his four-acre coffee farm had been destroyed.
He alleges that some family members were involved in destroying the crops, including a pineapple garden, coffee plantation, and banana plants.
“I came this morning planning to plant maize near this coffee garden. To my shock, I first saw that the water tank had been broken. On further inspection, I found that the coffee trees had been cut down,” he stated.
He added that he called the area chairperson and his brother before heading to Ibanda Central Police Station to report the matter.
Mr Mwesigye said that more than 5,000 coffee plants were destroyed, including those that had already started bearing beans and from which he had begun harvesting.
“This is four acres of land, and I had planted 7,000 coffee trees three years ago, but they are now all down. I had started harvesting some of them. We have a lot of land, and I am still wondering why they chose to do this when they can utilize land elsewhere. We have never stopped them from using it for anything,” he said.
He added that three acres of pineapples were initially destroyed and the remaining ones were later burnt.
“It started as something minor, but it escalated when three acres of pineapple garden were uprooted and others burnt down. As of now, we have no pineapples left in the field. All this happened after some land began to be demarcated by my siblings and the four widows of my father,” he added.
Mr Patrick Tumwebaze Kimunyu, another son of the late Kimunyu, also alleged that the destruction was carried out by siblings. He said they had considered bringing police sniffer dogs to the scene but declined because they suspected the perpetrators were family members.
“Last week they destroyed my coffee plantation, and now it is my brother’s. We requested police sniffer dogs but decided to halt the process. We are sure it is family members. You cannot destroy such plantations when I am not the only one benefiting from this land,” he said.
He added that they had invested heavily in the land and were disturbed that their siblings would engage in such acts despite the availability of enough land for use.
“Someone who comes to destroy such projects without thinking twice can do something worse. We have invested millions of shillings in this coffee plantation and irrigation. Our three years of hard work have now been wasted,” he added.
Mr Levious Turyamureeba, the LC1 chairperson for Rwobuzizi III Cell in Nsasi Ward, said he had received several reports related to disputes within the family of the late Kimunyu.
“Some family members have come to my office twice after part of the land was demarcated by other relatives,” he said.
He added that he had always advised them to report the matter to higher offices, but unfortunately, incidents have escalated within a short time.
Mr Godwin Guma Nabireba, the Assistant Resident Commissioner for Ibanda District, said family land wrangles have escalated in the area, with multiple gardens destroyed within one week.
“It is true that such acts are happening. In one week, we received reports of banana plantations being cut down, cows stolen, and now this destruction of coffee and matooke,” he said.
Mr Nabireba attributed the situation to delays in the judicial process, especially in handling land disputes.
“You find that a case is reported and takes more than 10 years to conclude, yet people continue harming each other. If cases were handled promptly across the country, we would not be seeing such incidents,” he said.
He urged the judiciary and Members of Parliament to expedite land-related cases and strengthen laws to curb land conflicts. He also advised local leaders to promptly escalate unresolved matters to higher offices, such as LC2 or LC3 authorities.
“I urge Members of Parliament to ensure that Parliament enacts and implements laws that will end land conflicts as soon as possible. The judiciary should also avoid taking too many years to hear cases while other crimes continue to arise,” he said.
He further accused some local leaders of delaying reports to the police.
“Some local leaders delay reporting matters to the police. Others receive bribes, which makes it difficult for security agencies to follow up on cases,” Mr Nabireba added.
Last week, a banana plantation along the Ibanda–Kazo Road near Saza Grounds, belonging to Ms Olive NamarGround, was cut down in another suspected family land conflict.
Such incidents continue to escalate among families and friends involved in land disputes in Ibanda District.
Torch Media Africa
