KAYUNGA.
A section of Christians who were protesting State minister for Lands, Sam Mayanja’s decision to give Kayunga Regional Referral Hospital a piece of land purportedly owned by the Catholic Church , have given up the matter ,allowing construction works on the disputed land to take off .
Led by Mr Ssalongo Kibirige, the Kayunga Parish treasurer, the Christians had vowed not to allow any development on the two-acre piece of land insisting that the land is owned by the Church .The group pitched camp at the site for several days , lit a fireplace and also prepared meals as they prayed to God to prevail over the matter. But the police last week ordered the believers, who included the Kayunga Parish priest, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Walakira to vacate the site , describing their actions as illegal and that if they did not heed to the directive, they would be dispersed by force.
According to Minister Mayanja when the government took over the land to pave way for the construction of Kayunga hospital in 1965 , it compensated the Catholic Church for the land .
Mr Ssalongo Kibirige said they have resorted to pushing for compensation rather than pitching camp at the disputed land .
“We are trying to seek an audience with the Lands minister Ms Judith Nabakooba so that we can inform her about the matter. We strongly contest the decision taken by Minister Mayanja ,” Mr Kibirige said.
The Catholic Church had started constructing a nursing training school on the same piece of land in 2023 ,but the project was halted by the district authorities over ownership dispute .
Rev. Fr. Walakira said : “We are now pursuing other options to regain our land, don’t think that we have given up. We have a land title for that piece of land so we cannot accept anyone to take it,”