Leaders from Imoratok Clan have petitioned The Minister for Lands, Judith Nabakooba, to intervene in a matter where they accuse Orungo Catholic Church of grabbing their land.
The contested land located at Morungatuny in Ococia Parish, Morungatuny Sub-County in Amuria District.
In their petition, the six clan leaders say that in 1944, their fathers and forefathers donated potions from their land to the Catholic Church to establish a church and later a health centre and primary school on 30 acres of customary land .
They however say as time went on, the Catholic Church extended its boundaries to grab land which was originally not given to it.
The Church and the Imoratok Clan had lived peacefully from 1944 until 2010 when Fr. Ipurale was transferred to the area. He started the process of surveying the land donated to the Church, which led to the encroachment on all neighboring families’ land, equivalent to about 60 hectares (140 acres).”
The clan leaders say the survey which led to encroachment on other people’s land was done without the consultation of the neighbors of the land while the Area Land Committee also came up with minutes without putting out notices of the intended survey to the neighbors.
“The Church then applied for a title at Amuria District Land Board, and it was only then that the Petitioners got to know and filed a case vide Case No. 27 of 2014 at High Court of Uganda at Soroti.”
In 2022 , the High Court threw out a case filed by six clan members including Mark Aleu, Richard Egaru, Thomas Odongo, Vincent Eculu, Alex Anoku and Joseph Ekeu against Amuria district Land Board, Fr.Joseph Ipurale Ocom and Soroti Catholic Diocese over the said land.
They however insist the judge didn’t visit the contested land before coming up with judgement which they say was a mistake.
In their petition to the minister, the clan leaders insist their contention is on the extra acres of land encroached on by the Catholic Church.
They say the judgement by the court has threatened several families which face eviction to be done in the presence of the Resident District Commissioner and District Police Commander.
They say a number of them have been arrested as they cultivate on their land, yet there is an appeal in court.
“The matter of the boundary is not yet fully resolved. The Church is using the office of the RDC and DPC to grab land and displace the Imoratok Clan members, who will have nowhere else to go and have always derived their sustenance from the same land since time immemorial.”
“We are requesting the minister to intervene and have the matter reviewed urgently through addressing a petition to the Chief Justice seeking to have the matter reviewed and addressed urgently.”
The clan leaders also want Minister Nabakooba to write to the Soroti RDC, DPC and Church to stop intimidation and harassment of their colleagues who are utilizing their land.
They also want the minister to write to the commissioner survey and mapping seeking her to appoint a surveyor to do a joint survey to ascertain the size of the donated and fenced-off land by the Church and the area encroached on.
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