Citizens decry rise in property, land disputes in Yei

Citizens from Yei municipal quarter council on Wednesday lamented the rise in land and property disputes in the area.

The citizens attributed the cases to land grabbing, illegal selling and expansion, and the exclusion of landlords and concerned authorities in decision making.

Noel Minjo from Gimunu quarter council, a participant in a one-day sensitization meeting, said a piece of land in his area has been given a different name. He observed that land selling and acquisition in the area is not legally recognized because some residents use force.

“Some of them are the ones to divide for themselves the plots, and the headman has no voice,” he said, decrying that no solution to the issue has been devised by those in authority.

He also pointed out that land disputes have been contributed to by exclusive decision making by investors and government officials.

Khemis Emmanuel, a citizen from Ronyi quarter council, raised concern about land selling and massive deforestation of teaks by unknown people who come ready with their machines.

“In a radius of one mile, all the plots are sold out,” he said.

Minyori quarter council citizen Timon Taban said some people have already settled in a land that is not legitimately demarcated and sold.

“We have a place near here which is not yet surveyed, but people are now many and everyone gets a piece for him or herself,” he noted.

A citizen who only introduced himself as Cosmas says they are losing part of their land to an expanding neighbour, warning that continuous silence on land borders will be terrible in the future.

“They know the border but are just keeping on expanding,” he says.

In October 2013, the clans of Goli and Longira of Ombasi Boma in Otogo payam, Yei River County, defined inter-clan borders so as to live in harmony.

The county administrative officer Alison Samuel Taligi stressed the need for more awareness through provision of capacity building to landlords on land related issues and laws.

“Most of the people have conflict. Some people think the government is going to grab land,” he told TCT after officially opening the training.

Benson Khemis Soro, the project officer for Community Empowerment for Rehabilitation and Development, said the training aimed at equipping participants to handle land issues within the existing laws.

“Problems about land today are very common. Sometimes you find allocation of land may not be clear to the community. People sometimes resort to fighting, even killing themselves and we realized handling land issues is not professionally done,” he said.