Locals consider reclaiming oil palm land over delayed compensation 

A section residents in the island district of Buvuma, affected by the oil palm project, are considering reclaiming their land due to delays in the government processing their compensation packages. The residents claim that they formerly occupied land in the villages of Kachanga, Kaziru, Bukalati, Kisiima, Buyando, Bukiyindi, and Bwaka in Nairambi Sub-county, which is now part of the nucleus plantation of the National Oil Palm Project. For the project to start, the government needed 11,000 hectares of land of which 3,500 hectares were to be owned by the outgrowers. Although the government agreed to pay for private land to expand its nucleus estate, the affected residents fear that they may not get their money due to delayed compensation. However, the National Oil Palm Project management says the compensation process for the affected residents is ongoing. “We are tired of empty promises. We ask the government to meet its part of the bargain, lest we are going to reclaim our land and also seek legal redress for whatever we have lost,” Mr Sebastian Ndugwa, a resident of Bukalati Village in Nnairambi Sub-county, said in an interview on Tuesday. Mr Clement Nvalo, a resident of Tojjwe Camp in Nairambi Sub-county, said, his four-acre piece of land was given to the government for the oil palm project in 2014 but he has not received any compensation to date. Mr Nvalo said for the last three years, he has been bedridden and has failed to pay medical bills, and school fees for his children due to lack of money. “On many occasions, they have promised us money, but they always come up with excuses of paperwork and asked us to go for reverification and all this indicates that there is something wrong,” he said. “We are dismayed by the way our leaders have abandoned us yet they were key pillars in convincing us to surrender our land before compensation. I was promised Shs40m for my piece of land and opened up an account, but nothing is coming through,” he added. Ms Ritah Alokiti, 63, another affected resident, said her house was demolished for the palm oil project and she has been renting since then. She, however, said she has challenges paying rent and was even nearly arrested over failing to take her grandchildren to school as per the sub-county bi-law. “Law enforcers stormed my home and were dragging me to the police to find my grandchildren whose parents died in a boat crash. I was only saved by the local leaders who intervened,” she said. Mr Yunus Maganda, the chairperson of Nairambi Sub-county, said: “The situation is worsening by the day because people have nothing to eat and they steal crops from other people’s gardens, which is becoming a security threat.” Buvuma Member of Parliament Robert Migadde Ndugwa said the issue has become complex since many of the government promises to the claimants have not been fulfilled. “Let government pay all the claimants or allow them to reoccupy their land where oil palm trees have not been planted,” he said. READ: Buvuma oil palm project kicks off a decade later Mr Anthony Wanyoto, the acting spokesperson of the National Oil Palm Project confirmed that some claimants have not received their compensation packages but declined to reveal the actual number of residents still demanding the money. “ …in September 2022, a team from the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development surveyed and valued the properties of all tenants on the four pieces of land acquired by the government, conducted disclosure of the valuation report in November 2023 and currently the Ministry of Agriculture is processing payments for all surveyed, valued and approved tenants,” he said. He added that the government took over four pieces of land in Kachanga (Block 59, Plot 6) measuring 111.52 hectares, Kaziru (59, Plot 3) measuring 39.59 hectares, Bukyiyidi (Block 39, Plot 5) measuring 31.82 hectares and Bakalabata (Block 61, Plot 1) measuring 67.43 hectares. He said all the landlords have been compensated.