By Hon. Dr. Odonga Otto
In yet another blatant abuse of state power, the government has reshuffled key land registry staff in Gulu, removing three Acholi officials and replacing them with two Banyankole and a Muganda. The new appointments include Tuweishye Ben as Land Officer and Mark Ndahagire as Registrar of Titles.
This move is not accidental. It is a calculated step to fast-track the conversion of Acholi customary land to leasehold status, paving the way for the Balalo cattle keepers to take over our ancestral lands. This is nothing less than a state-sanctioned land grab, disguised as administrative restructuring.
A Systematic Land Takeover
For years, the Acholi people have resisted the forceful takeover of their land by powerful individuals with state backing. The systematic flooding of non-Acholi officials into key land management positions in Acholi sub-region is a strategy to dismantle our land rights. This is why our registry has been targeted, ensuring that those overseeing land transactions have no cultural or historical ties to our land.
This is an outright abuse of state machinery. It is ethnic domination hiding behind the banner of national governance. How can a land registry in Acholiland be managed by people who have no stake in our future, no respect for our customs, and no commitment to protecting our heritage?
Time for Federalism
This crisis proves one thing: centralized land governance is a tool for oppression. The Acholi people must demand a federal system where land matters are handled by our own leaders, not outsiders with hidden agendas. If we do not act now, our land will be sold out from under us, and future generations will be tenants in their own homeland.
The time for political diplomacy is over. This must be a decisive election issue in 2026. Any leader who does not stand firm on Acholi land rights should be rejected at the ballot box. We must fight for a legal framework that protects our customary land tenure, ensuring it is controlled by those who actually belong to the land.
Resistance is the Only Way
We cannot sit back and watch as state-sponsored land theft unfolds. We must:
1. Demand a reversal of these appointments and insist on Acholi representation in the land registry.
2. Push for federalism to decentralize land management and prevent external interference.
3. Publicly document and challenge all land titles issued under this new regime.
4. Make land protection a top priority in 2026 elections.
This is our land, and we will not be silenced. If the government continues to ignore our concerns, the Acholi people will have no choice but to take matters into their own hands.
Enough is enough. The land belongs to us!
#AcholiLandForAcholi
#FederalismNow
#ResistLandGrab