Residents of Katovu Protest Decades-Long Road Blockade in Lwengo District

Katovu Town Council, Lwengo – Frustrated residents from three villages in Katovu Town Council have stormed the office of Presidential Advisor Bonivencha Rwatangabo, demanding urgent intervention to reopen a critical community road that has been blocked for over 40 years.  

 
Residents of Kamazzi A, Kamazzi B, and Malongo villages accuse a local landlord of illegally blocking the traditional footpath connecting their communities. The contested route, vital for accessing water sources and grazing livestock, has become the centre of a bitter standoff.  

Key issues raised include a water access crisis, forcing families to travel long distances to fetch water, livestock restrictions prohibiting herders from using the path for cattle, and property damage claims from landowners alleging destruction of trees and property.  
 
Winfred Mukinda, representing the three villages, explained: "This path has served our ancestors for generations. Its closure has made daily life unbearable, especially for women fetching water."  
 
Isa Musiitwa, the accused landowner, countered: "I legally purchased this land years ago without being told about any public pathway. Now my property gets destroyed daily." He particularly objected to cattle damaging his land without compensation for milk produced.  
 
Presidential Advisor Rwatangabo highlighted three key points: ensuring citizens’ right to water sources, emphasising the importance of proper surveying before path usage, and reaffirming the government’s responsibility for providing water access.  

Lwengo District official Mary Jude Namuleme mediated the heated meeting, warning against violence: "We must follow legal procedures. No one should take the law into their own hands."  

 
Authorities have pledged to conduct immediate land surveys, establish legal right-of-way procedures, and ensure peaceful coexistence throughout the process.  

The tense standoff highlights growing conflicts over land access in rural Uganda, where customary rights often clash with modern land ownership systems.