Squatters Petition Butaleja Leaders Over Alleged Busolwe Hospital Land Grab
By Ambrose Wanagoli.
A group of 36 residents has petitioned the Butaleja District leadership to intervene in a land dispute, alleging that the administration of Busolwe General Hospital encroached on their customary land while constructing the hospital’s perimeter wall.
Led by senior citizen Tom Daka Wisso, the residents claim they initially donated part of their land to facilitate the establishment of the hospital but now accuse the hospital of extending its developments onto additional land without their consent.
They are demanding an immediate halt to the ongoing construction and are seeking compensation from the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) should the government require their land for the hospital’s expansion.
In a petition addressed to Butaleja District Chairperson Elvis Were and presented during a stakeholders’ meeting, Daka Wisso and his co-petitioners questioned how the hospital’s land allegedly increased from the original 14 acres to 25 acres.
The residents said they possess land agreements proving their ownership of the disputed land.
They further alleged that the hospital administration installed boundary pillars and a drainage system on their land without their consent.
The petitioners also accused the hospital administration of writing to the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA), identifying them as squatters and allegedly seeking to block their compensation claims.
The matter was discussed during a fact-finding meeting held on Monday in the Butaleja District Health Boardroom, chaired by District Chairperson Elvis Were and attended by district leaders and technical officials.
During the meeting, district officials maintained that the land occupied by Busolwe General Hospital belongs to the government.
Busolwe General Hospital Administrator Stephen Hasango said the hospital land was first surveyed in 1967 and re-surveyed in 2001, adding that the hospital legally owns 25 acres.
Butaleja District Physical Planner Lydia Kagoya explained that when the government undertook the renovation of Busolwe General Hospital in 2021, a land title was required to safeguard the project from future disputes.
She said this prompted the district to process the title and questioned why the land claims had emerged after the title had been secured.
District Land Officer Twaha Kirya acknowledged that members of the Buhyama Clan had donated land for the development of the hospital but questioned why the complainants had never developed the disputed land if they indeed owned it.
“I know very well that some people in the Buhyama Clan donated land for the growth of Busolwe General Hospital. But why have they not built houses on the land in question if it belongs to them?” Kirya asked.
District Surveyor Ayubu Weere said the hospital’s land title does not include the Busolwe–Mbale Highway, contrary to the claims made by the petitioners.
He added that the hospital’s lagoon and sewer line were intentionally left out of the original survey pending separate documentation and affirmed the authenticity of the hospital’s land records.
However, Assistant Resident District Commissioner Godfrey Nasuga Musulemi questioned why the lagoon and sewer line had been excluded from the original survey and urged the district to expedite documentation to prevent future disputes.
Nasuga also advised the hospital administration to seek support from the Ministry of Health and security through the Resident District Commissioner’s office to protect contractors constructing the hospital perimeter wall in areas not under dispute.
If intended for publication, it is also advisable to seek an additional comment from the petitioners or their representatives after the meeting to reflect any response to the district’s resolutions
At the close of the meeting, district leaders resolved to compile comprehensive documentation to respond to the petitioners’ claims during the next meeting.
They also agreed to reopen and verify the boundaries of Busolwe General Hospital to establish the extent of government-owned land and help resolve the dispute.
