Residents of Kapapi Sub-county in Hoima District are facing a second eviction from their ancestral land in three years, sparking renewed tensions within the community.
The latest evictions have been linked to a senior officer of the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF), Brig Gen Peter Nabasa. Residents accuse him of orchestrating the displacement, allegedly in defiance of earlier directives issued by the State Minister for Lands, Dr Sam Mayanja.
In October 2025, Dr Mayanja ordered the resettlement of over 1,000 families who had previously been evicted from contested land in Kapapi Sub-county. He also directed security commanders in the area to withdraw armed personnel and allow the affected residents to return to their bibanja.
Despite the directive, residents say the situation has worsened, with fresh evictions once again leaving thousands uncertain about their future.
The affected families — estimated at more than 1,000 households comprising over 4,000 people — include both cultivators and pastoralists. They were displaced from several villages, including Waaki North, Kapapi Central, Waaki South, Runga, Kiryatete and Kiganja in Kapapi and Kiganja sub-counties.
Many residents maintain that they have occupied the land for decades, with ownership passed down through generations. They accuse influential individuals of using land titles and security enforcement to evict them.
“We were returned to our land in October last year on the orders of President Museveni and Minister Mayanja, but shortly after the elections we were evicted again,” said Deusi Mugume, a resident of Runga.
He alleged that Brig Gen Nabasa arrived with armed security personnel and ordered residents to vacate immediately. “They fired bullets into the air to disperse us, disregarding the orders of both the minister and the President,” he said.
The residents were evicted from two titled pieces of land said to belong to businesspeople and private individuals based in Hoima and Kampala. One of the contested titles, measuring approximately 2,545 acres (1,030 hectares), is reportedly owned by seven individuals and covers parts of Kapapi and Kiganja sub-counties.
Another title, measuring about three square miles, is said to belong to the family of the late Tito Byangire of Kigorobya, Hoima District. The land reportedly encompasses villages including Waaki South, Waaki North, Runga, Kapapi Central and Kiryatete.
Brig Gen Nabasa has said he legally leased 700 acres from the Byangire family for a period of 10 years beginning in 2023.
“The residents were allowed to remain there temporarily because elections were approaching, but they were expected to leave immediately after the polls,” he said.
Displaced families, now living in temporary shelters in Rwenyana, say their food and cash crops were destroyed after cattle were introduced onto the land following the eviction.
“We are facing many hardships. We have no food, we are sleeping in makeshift shelters, children are not attending school, and we do not know whether we shall ever return to our land,” said Madinah Nyanjura and Nyarabiraho Cheya, both residents of Kapapi.
The Hoima Deputy Resident District Commissioner, Christopher Aine, attributed the tensions to land brokers, whom he accused of misleading residents and encouraging more people to settle on contested land.
Dr Mayanja had previously directed the arrest of Brig Gen Peter Nabasa and other officials over allegations of illegally evicting residents from their bibanja.
Mr Joshua Byangire, one of the administrators of the late Byangire estate, said the family has continued to face disruption and appealed to the government to purchase the land title. He said the family remains unable to freely access its property despite holding legal ownership documents.
