"Breaking down the Amuru land conflict"

A planned survey to secure 10,000 hectares of land for Madhvani Group to establish sugarcane plantation and sugar factory in the northern Amuru District aborted last week following nude protest by enraged women...[This article traces the history of the conflict between Madhvani Group and the local community].

The Madhvani Group initially showed interest in the land to establish a sugar factory, but local resistance forced the company to pull out. It sought the assistance of government to acquire the same. In the process, the government decided to bring the community on board. In 2008...[community representatives] sued Madhvani Group, Gen Julius Oketta and former district employee Ms Christine Atimango, and ex-Amuru Land Board Secretary Christine Atimango for wrongfully allocating communal land to private investors. High Court Judge William Musene...ordered the land be given to Madhvani Group. In 2015, the government signed an agreement with the Lamogi community of Kilak County, Amuru District, to withdraw the pending case at the Court of Appeal and pave the way for the establishment of the sugar factory by the Madhvani Group. President Museveni witnessed the signing of the agreement...

A forcible survey exercise overseen by security forces and resistance by residents will likely explode in a confrontation, and result in bloodshed. Some of the dissenting leaders have proposed that the land owners form a Trust under which they will act as out growers and directly supply sugarcane to Madhvani Group, thereby earning constant income instead of mortgaging their land to the investor for a one-off compensation payment.