Museveni in Tororo as residents decry land grabbing by OWC Director

By Nathan Ngobi

President Yoweri Museveni is set to visit Tororo District come 25^th August 2023 to officiate at a number of functions which include among others addressing a huge rally at Siwa in Mulanda and  commissioning the new plant at Tororo cement factory.

However, sections of residents have decried to the president to intervene and tame his officer at the helm of Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) Sylivia Awor whom they accuse of using her powers excessively to grab their land.

Sylivia Awor is the director operations at the Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) and though she hails from Tororo some victimized residents are worried and concerned over the continued harassment and eviction threats from their land by her.

One of the families affected by her eviction notice is the Otedo family who are calling upon his Excellency the president of Uganda to set foot into this matter and save them since they are impoverished and worried living in fear for their lives due to numerous threats exerted by Sylivia Awor the director operations at OWC.   

Juma Seyid a journalist at Rock Mambo FM radio based in Tororo is among those affected after he bought the land genuinely in Agururu, built his home and now Sylivia Awor has been storming the area guarded with many armed soldiers threatening to cause action on residents over land.

Mitesh Dosh a Ugandan local investor according to reports has been confronted several times with threats from Sylivia Awor over the Agururu land as she allegedly claim that the said land belonged to her late father who was murdered at Rock Hotel in Tororo by soldiers of the Iddi Amin regime in the late 70s.

Information obtained by this publication reveals that Mitesh who has a land title and all relevant documents certified from the local authority bought the land from Dr Okuna way back in 2013.

Insiders intimated to us that at the time Mitesh bought the land from Dr. Okuna it had been sold many times to different buyers.

However, when we reached out  to Mitesh , he confirmed buying the land way back and he is in full possession with developments on the land.

“I have fenced it with a huge wall fence, done some constructions for a multibillion project to serve the local people in Tororo and anyone contesting my occupancy of the land should seek court redress other than threatening us so that acquires the land through fraudulent means” Mitesh pointed out.

Mitesh adds that Awor is taking advantage of her position in government to grab his property but regardless of her status in government he will not let out his land.

Another person Othieno Juma a resident of mile five says currently they are under tension over eviction threats and warnings to vacate their ancestral land while yet without proof or evidence of ownership of the land Sylivia Awor has kept raiding the area with armed soldier escorts demanding for land. 

Othieno has called upon president Museveni to come in and save the people being tormented by actions of Sylivia Awor to grab land in Tororo.

  Another resident of mile five who proffered anonymity boldly said he is worried over his life and that of his family members  following rampant threats  currently  enforced by the Awor and agents .

“We have lived here right from the time of our great grandfathers and now we are struggling to get the little for food and fees but where shall we go if she goes ahead to use her soldiers to push us out of the place” the gentleman wondered”.

However according to information from Sylivia Awor  she  plans  to become a role model farmer in  Tororo  District by putting up over 20 acres  of land for agriculture.

Awori adds that the reason why most of the people are poor in Tororo and Bukedi is because  a  number of  properties are in the hands of nonnatives compared to the local communities .

 It is on record that last year in  May  2022 the speaker of parliament Annet Anita Among directed the minister for lands to investigate in a probe actions of intimidation and threats of land grabbing by Sylivia Awor in Tororo following a petition raised by Tororo district woman MP Sarah Opendi .

 Opendi  in her petition and issues that she raised at the floor of parliament accused Sylivia Awori of using her powers to grab over 90 arches of land in Nyakesi  zone and Nyangole in Tororo district.

Opendi told parliament that Sylivia Awor uses her security personnel to beat up people and block access to a school and a church while the land she grabs has over 244 residents occupying it.

Meantime by press time there were unconfirmed  speculations that the fountain of honor would postpone his Tororo trip due to other state duties.