Claimants refuse to leave

Survivors and family members of Muslims killed in the 1979 Kiziba massacre prepare to make a meal at Sheema District headquarters on Tuesday. PHOTO BY ZADOCK AMANYISA 

In Summary

Twist in events. Claimants have been camped at Sheema District headquarters since November

Survivors of the 1979 Muslim massacre in Kiziba, Kagango Sub-county, Sheema District have refused to leave the district headquarters until they have been compensated by government.
More than 400 Muslims have camped in the area since November 2015. The group were on April 22 availed a report from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) detailing how they will be compensated in June.

The report, according to the Resident District Commissioner, Mr Willy Turyamubona, was delivered by Prof Tarsis Kabwegyere, the minister for General Duties in the OPM, who asked them to go back to where they were living and wait for their compensation.
The report was made by the verification team led by the Solicitor General who visited the claimants in January.

Mr Turyamubona said on Tuesday that the verification was done on the directive of President Museveni, who tasked Dr Ruhakana Rugunda to have the work done quickly.

The Solicitor General headed the verification team comprising the Chief Government Valuer, the Auditor General, representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Internal Security Organisation, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Defence and Sheema District local government.

“The verification team visited the affected area for about five days and identified 36 families and those are the families that qualified to be compensated. The process to see how best we could help the people has started. On Friday, the Office of the Prime Minster sent a report which the aggrieved Muslims have disputed,” said Mr Turyamubona.

Mr Kassim Ssemakula, the vice chairman of the aggrieved Muslims group, said they have rejected the report because it does not match what is on the ground.

“They came here, visited the area and saw what was destroyed but what they saw is not what is in the report. For example, they found that some of the people had 40 cows, 20 goats and banana plantations but they now say all these things are on one acre of land. How can that one be possible?” Mr Ssemakula said.

According to Mr Semakula, the group have spent six months at the district. He added that toilets and water taps have been closed by the authorities in a move to compel them to leave. However, Mr Turyamubona said they want them to leave because of the overwhelming number of claimants that kept accumulating.

About FSA
In 1979, gun and machete-wielding men invaded Kiziba, a Muslim community, and killed about 67 people after the fall of former President Idi Amin Dada. Many others fled and their property was destroyed. Bodies of those who were slain were dumped in River Rwizi.

More than 30 families of survivors and victims have for more than 10 years been petitioning the President for compensation.