"Govt stops land transaction with investor in Agago"

The Lands ministry has ordered the suspension of a process to secure at least nine square miles (5,750 acres) of land for Terra Agri Solutions Ltd to establish a farm in Agago district. In a January 4 letter, Lands minister Judith Nabakooba said she wanted to avert possible land grabbing following complaints from locals. She said some locals claimed the investor and his team were not interfacing with the rightful land owners and clan leaders. “My Ministry has for now ordered the investor to pull back and allow the Ministry of Lands together with the district local governments to take charge, identify the rightful land owners, and survey and register their land,” she said...

This publication has established that, last October, President Museveni held a meeting with representatives of the investment firm, Terra Agri Solutions Ltd, Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), and clan leaders from Lapono, Omiya Pacwa, and Orom.  However, Agago leaders disowned the representatives of landowners in the October 2023 meeting. The investor wants to rent customary land for commercial agriculture under a project known as the Parish to Market socio-economic transformation of the Acholi Sub-region. The project affects the sub-counties of Lapono, Omiya-pace, Orom, Paimol and Lira-kato. Sources  said 46 clans showed interest in renting out land to the investor under the Parish to Market Model, a programme President Museveni launched in February 2023 in Gulu City.