By Steven Enatu
SOROTI CITY
Soroti High Court has this morning of 13th April, 2022 granted a temporal injunction stopping Uganda Wildlife Authority from evicting over 2000 Iteso from Abim district.
The judgment which elicited jubilation from the victims who had actually earlier been evicted by UWA under the command of a one Captain Charles Okhuta was delivered by Soroti Chief Magistrate, Aanyu on behalf of Hon. Justice Dr. Henry Adonyo.
The injunction stops UWA and its agents from evicting the applicants ( Iteso), the deployment of Game Rangers on the land and arresting applicants for criminal trespass until the lead suit is disposed off.
Solomon Oriada Aloysius and 2000 others petitioned the high court through their advocate, Engoru Mutebi seeking temporal injunction on UWA’s decision to evict the Iteso from their land.
Over 16000 Iteso were evicted by UWA under the command of captain Okhuta on allegations that they were occupying the game reserve
Some of the victims who spoke to this reporter said they are going back to re-occupy their land and make good use of it during the current planting season.
The unlawful eviction of the Iteso from Abim was first done in December 15th -27th 2019 and the second on the 10th Feb 2021 by UWA game rangers led by captain Charles Okhuta on false allegations that they were occupying the game reserve land.
During the eviction, women were raped, houses destroyed and gardens of crops by the rangers.
The Iteso who had lived in Morulokwang land covering 24 villages and 7 parishes lost properties worth billions according to Simon Okiror Aloysius Oriada, one of the evictees.
However, a new report from State House revealed later that the series of evictions of the 16,000 Iteso living in Morualogwangat, Opopongo Sub County in Abim District was illegal.
This was revealed by Vincent Ochen, the Executive Director Sugur Development Agency. Ochen said the illegal evictions were carried out without the knowledge of Uganda Wildlife Authority.
He said a meeting was convened on the 26th of March 2021 amongst the civil societies led by him on behalf of evictees, State House and the director legal services UWA.
“In that meeting, the director legal services UWA apologized saying they were not aware of any eviction in Abim,” Ochen said.
Ochen said the Director Legal Services at UWA argued that they only carry out evictions after giving court orders to people occupying a game reserve.
The matter was however taken to Soroti High Court with Ssaalam Ngobi, the Assistant Registrar Soroti High court issuing a court order granting the evictees to sue Captain Okhuta.
The order dated 27th April 2021 gave permission to Solomon Okiror Aloysius Oriada and 2000 other complainants to sue Captain Charles Okhuta as an individual, the Attorney General and Uganda Wild Life Authority.
Solomon Oriada Aloysius Oriada the lead applicant in the case who also doubles as the chairperson representing the Iteso in Abim told our reporter that Okhuta had evicted them from the land that they even own land agreements of purchase.
