PM Nabbanja to Visit Pakwach Over Land Dispute Following MP's Pressure

Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has pledged to visit Pakwach district to investigate a long-standing land dispute, a move prompted by the persistent efforts of Jonam County MP, Marshall Alenyo.

During a session of Prime Minister’s Questions in Parliament on August 27th, MP Alenyo raised the issue for the third time, urging the Premier to intervene. Nabbanja acknowledged the matter, stating, “I have known that issue for some time and His Excellency has also briefed me before. I am going to make it a top priority in the coming days.”

The land wrangle, often referred to as the Palango land question, concerns customary lands in Gotafoyo parish, now part of Nwoya district. Residents of Jonam county allege that this land was unlawfully taken from them.

President Yoweri Museveni had previously promised to establish a commission of inquiry into the matter when he visited the district during presidential campaigns in 2025. He had initially directed Prime Minister Nabbanja to visit the contested area as a first step.

This directive echoes past attempts to resolve the dispute. In 1999, then-Prime Minister Apolo Nsibambi had advised the President to allow the Jonam people to return to their ancestral land, known as Lokapalango land. However, the President’s action on this recommendation was delayed until his recent directive to Nabbanja.

MP Alenyo expressed his satisfaction with the Prime Minister’s commitment, stating, “I’m happy that she has followed the president’s directive and promised that she is urgently coming to Jonam.” He has called upon the residents of Pakwach to prepare for the Prime Minister’s visit, assuring them that they will present evidence of their land claims and engage directly with her.

Source: The Observer (Uganda)