MUGABE R
A team from Western Division Rukungiri municipality, led by the LC3 Chairperson and delegated by the Office of the Resident District Commissioner for Rukungiri, attempted to initiate a consensus in the family of Mzee James Nkabonobuzo over ongoing land disputes. However, the family members declined mediation and instead preferred the matter to be handled in Court.
The family, residing in Kiyaga Village, Northern A Ward, Western Division, Rukungiri, is entangled in disagreements between daughters and granddaughters. The granddaughters accuse their aunts of selling land that had been inherited from their grandfather.
Mzee Nkabonobuzo had seven children—three boys and four girls. The four daughters, namely Annet Kamukama, Judith Kikanshemeza, Midius Atebembire, and Evalyn Kamusiime, are accused of selling land that their father had earlier allocated to his granddaughters, Precius Oryetiisa and Kente Katushabe, daughters of the late Moses Musasibwaki (son of Mzee Nkabonobuzo), without their consent.
During the reconciliation meeting, the accused women requested reallocation of the land from the valley. However, the complainants were backed by their uncle, Patrick Atwebembire, who insisted that their grandfather had specifically allocated them a roadside plot intended for business purposes.
The Kiyage LC1 Chairperson, Patrick Nahwera, presented a will drafted by Mzee Nkabonobuzo on 16th August 2021, aimed at guiding rightful decisions. However, the daughters defied the provisions of the will, insisting they had powers over their nieces.
The complainants, Precius Oryetiisa and Kente Katushabe, reaffirmed their demand for the roadside plot as originally planned by their grandfather for income generation through business.
Their uncle, Jackson Mubangizi, defended their claims, emphasizing that his father’s wishes should be respected and that his cousins should receive back their roadside plot.
The meeting secretary, Sunday Kenneth, also serving as the Community Development Officer for Western Division, read the resolutions. He stated that the matter should be forwarded to Court but advised reconciliation before litigation to avoid Court burdens.
Meanwhile, the Western Division LC3 Chairperson, Madam Sylvia Twinomugisha Katimbira, attributed rising domestic violence to irresponsible leadership and called for truthfulness in handling family matters at early stages.
Despite these appeals, the complainants, Precius Oryetiisa and Kente Katushabe, vowed to immediately start using their inherited roadside land, insisting that any sales or purchases already made would be the buyers’ problem to resolve.
