The forthcoming meeting is expected to put Ssegawa and Dr. Lugero’s competing documents under scrutiny as the Lands Ministry seeks to establish the lawful status of the disputed property and determine what, if any, compensation may be due.
This year’s event is being held under the theme “Empowering the IK Community of Karamoja through Coffee Farming to End Poverty.” The theme reflects the organizers’ broader ambition to use coffee farming as a tool for economic empowerment while drawing attention to communities facing poverty and limited livelihood opportunities.
On November 7, 2024, a 34-year-old woman identified as Sarah Namwanje, a resident of Binyonyi A, Nyendo-Mukungwe Division in Masaka City, was sentenced to 35 years in prison after she recorded and sent a viral video of herself feeding her neighbor’s 10-month-old baby with feces and urine on November 4, 2024.
In the related development, on August 21, 2024, a fuel tanker busted into flame, killing one and injuring two at Rukungiri; on December 13, 2022, one person died in Tororo; in January 2021 on the Northern Bypass, at least 33 people died; on February 12, 2021, four died in Bunyangabu; and on August 12, 2019 in Rubirizi, 20 people died. Such incidences point to the need to sensitize locals on public safety during such incidences.
A group of protesters were intercepted by the police as they attempted to make their way to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development to deliver a petition over the delayed compensation of the Project Affected Persons (PAPs).