KAYUNGA.
Tempers flared as a group of Christians criticised State minister for Lands, Mr Sam Mayanja for siding with Kayunga Regional Referral Hospital management in a land dispute pitting them against Kayunga Catholic Parish.
The disputed two-acre piece of land is located next to the regional hospital.
Both the hospital management and Catholic Church leaders in Kayunga have in the past six years been fighting over the same piece of land and this recently forced the Church to halt its plan to erect a nursing training school in the area.
When Mr Mayanja visited the area to defuse tensions , he instead sided with the hospital management insisting that government had compensated the Church to takeover full control of the land .
The minister was in company of Ms Phiona Barungi, the senior presidential Assistant on special duties, Kayunga Resident District Commissioner ,Ms Mariam Seguya and other local leaders.
“In 1965 when the government took over the entire piece of land to pave way for the construction of Kayunga hospital, the Catholic Church was compensated for its two-acre piece of land and they should not claim ownership now ,” the Minister said.
He wondered why the Church leaders have all along been silent about their land ownership claims.
“If the Church refuses to surrender that piece of land, Kayunga District is going to miss out on a big World Bank project ,which will be bad for this area ,” Mr Mayanja explained
As the minister was explaining the government position on the matter , a group of charged Christians started hurling insults at him ,accusing him of bias and endorsing land grabbing.
“Let the minister know that he is waging a war against the Catholic Church, which war he cannot win ,” Mr Godfrey Katumba ,one of the faithful shouted
Katumba tried to stop the minister ‘s delegation from inspecting the land ,but was whisked away by police.
Some angry Christians wept as they abused the leaders.
But Mr Mayanja ordered the hospital authorities to go on and execute their plans on the land, and directed Ms Sseguya ,who chairs the district security committee in her capacity as RDC to provide security to the workers.