By Okello Stephen
Amuru — Residents of Amuru District have warmed up to the government’s request to them to offer land for agricultural investors but put a caveat barring sugar cane growing.
This follows seven years of stalemate on the proposed giveaway of 40,000 hectares of land to Madhvani Group of Companies for sugarcane growing. The decision was reached during a meeting with Lands minister Ms Betty Amongi who visited the residents at Kalolo in Amuru Sub-county where the land in question is situated. The meeting aimed at convincing the residents to withdraw their Court of Appeal petition over the disputed land.
Former legislators Livingstone Okello Okello (Chwa County) Michael Ocula (Kilak), David Ochieng Penytoo (Gulu Municipality) and others in 2008 sued Madhvani Group of Companies, late Gen Julius Oketta and former Amuru Land Board secretary Christine Atimango for wrongfully allocating communal land to private investors.
However in 2012, Gulu High Court Judge William Musene ruled that the district land board had a right to give away the land for investment, something that did not go well with the locals and they appealed the case.
Mr James Onen, a land owner, said they have now accepted other investments apart from sugarcane growing, adding that even Madhvani is free to invest in the area as long as he abandons sugarcane growing.
“Crops like sunflower and rice can do well in the area and if we get investors in such areas, residents’ lives will be transformed,” Mr Onen said.
He faulted government officials and security agencies in the district whom he accused of misleading President Museveni that the locals are against investment in the district.
Democratic Party president also a born of Amuru District, Mr Norbert Mao, said: “We want investors to come and invest on our land, but they should come and negotiate directly with the land owners, not the so-called representatives.”
Meanwhile, the MP for Kilak North, Anthony Akol, denied allegations that they had received money to giveaway land without consulting locals.
No sugarcanes
The locals say they have now accepted other investments apart from sugarcane growing, adding that even Madhvani is free to invest in the area as long as he abandons sugarcane growing. They claim that crops like sunflower and rice can do well in the area.