Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Betty Amongi has intervened in a land wrangle involving residents of Anaka in Nwoya and a powerful businesswoman.
The residents claim to have been evicted from their land by soldiers working on behalf Aber. They claim their property was destroyed and crops were uprooted by the UPDF soldiers.
Harriet Aber denies having sent any soldiers to evict people from the land she claims although she acknowleges a long running dispute over the ownership of the land. Aber maintains she acquired 10,000 acres of land in 2007.Betty Amongi convened a meeting in Anaka town council in order to mediate between the residents and Ms. Aber.
From the heated meeting, it was revealed that the contested piece of land was de-gazetted by the government under gazette number 57. According to the locals, this was done in 2007 when the government was resettling internally displaced people in the Acholi region. Shortly thereafter Aber acquired the 10,000 acres she owns.
The meeting did not resolove the matter and Betty Amongi said she will institute a committee to verify the rightful owners of the land in question. In the meantime she called upon She Harriet Aber not to use soldiers to evict people from the land.
Nwoya district, which has lots of arable land and is the site of many potential oilfields, has been the centre of many land wrangles over the years as land that was previously unutilised due to war and gazettement is opened up to public ownership.