Lira High Court awards Shs 68bln to Lango families
LIRA-Lira High Court has awarded members under Lango Camp Host Association Shs 68 billion for damages caused when the government forcefully opened internally displaced people camps on their land depriving them of their rights.
In 2016, the 5,505 members of the association filed a suit before Lira High Court seeking compensation from the government for the degradation caused on their land during the Lord’s Resistance Army [LRA] insurgency.
Justice Alex Mackay Ajiji, found the government responsible for the forceful creation of the IDP camps on the land hence causing damages to the environment as well as grave losses.
The plaintiffs argued in court that at peak of the LRA insecurity led by Joseph Kony in Northern Uganda between 2003-2007, the government created IDP camps on their land, which later caused destruction of crops, soil, and the environment.
The judge in his ruling said: “In the garden, they had planted a range of crops such as cassava, potatoes, maize, and other subsistence.:
“The pit latrines, residential houses, and other domestic animals like chicken, goats, pigs were destroyed and for the case of food all eaten or stolen by the huge population of approximately 1,500,000 people,” he added.
He said in the judgment that IDPs destroyed the environment on the land measuring 25,500 acres by polluting with toxic chemicals, solid waste, plastic bags, and deforestation.
The group was represented by M/s Makmot -Kibwanga & Co.Advocates and Drake Twebaze from M/s Nzige, Jamero & Co. Advocates while Doris Tuheisomwe, a State Attorney from the Attorney General Chambers represented government.
The court ordered government to pay compensation for the arbitrary and unlawful deprivation of the right to a clean and sustainable environment and land that has been rendered infertile.
It awarded compensation of Shs 5 million and general damages of Shs 10mln to each member of the Lango Camp Host Association.
Denis Oyite, the executive director of the association welcomed the court’s ruling, saying it is a great relief to people who suffered grave losses and damages.
He said they started pursuing the case in 2011 and they were almost giving up because of the delays and time spent.
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