Police in Mityana are investigating circumstances under which a 55-year-old man was lynched to death due to land wrangles.
The incident happened on September 25, 2024, in Gayaza village, Banda Town Council in Mityana district. The deceased has been identified as Eliijah Mugerwa.
Mugerwa was killed by the locals in Gayaza when he had taken casual workers to plant trees on the said land; however, as they were still walking around the land, they were attacked by some locals led by LC I Chairman Martin Ntanganda and lynched Mugerwa to death on claims that he was encroaching on their land.
According to preliminary reports, the locals of Gayaza village and Mengo Hospital have been fighting for 270 acres of land in Banda Town Council since 2002, and both parties claim to be the rightful owners. It is claimed that Mengo Hospital had hired Mugerwa to take care of the land and report to hospital administration any developments.
During an interview with the Wamala Regional Police Spokesperson, SP Rachael Kawala, she revealed that Ntanganda was arrested; however, police are hunting for more people that participated in the death of Mugerwa.
Kawala added that Ntanganda was arrested because there are witnesses who saw him lead the attack, adding that he is the one who first struck him with a stick on the head.
She added that after the murder, they dumped the deceased’s body in a dirty pond and put a heavy log on it to keep it under water.
’’We have a list of other suspects who participated in the death of this innocent man; however, a manhunt for them has started, and they will be caught soon,” Kawala said.
Kawala noted that investigations are going on and that the culprits will face the law soon.
Mugerwa’s tragic death by a mob is an example of increasing mob justice cases happening due to larger systemic issues surrounding land ownership, community dynamics, and law enforcement challenges in Uganda, particularly within the Mityana district.
On September 23, 2024, a couple was allegedly murdered in Bukomansimbi following a land dispute with their uncle. The incident led to a mob retaliating by destroying property belonging to the suspected murderers. This highlights the extreme tensions surrounding land ownership and the potential for violence to escalate rapidly in such disputes.