Namayingo Deputy Resident Commissioner (DRDC), Trevor Solomon Baleke has intervened in a community dispute between two village men and an ageing widow who have been not been greeting for st least two years.
Alfred Wanyama and Lugusi Mugenyi, both residents of Matiko A village in Buwingo parish, Buhemba subcounty Namayingo district initiated a micro irrigation scheme, passing their water pipes in Florence Wegulo’s land without her knowledge.
Adding insult to an injury, the two renowned village farmers destroyed the crops of the old woman, including cassava, maize, beans, and yams.
Praised as untouchables at the village, the local farmers reportedly continued to insult the over 65-year-old woman and even influenced police to arrest her sick son, identified as Geoffrey Wegulo, for allegedly dismantling the pipes.
This prompted the marginalized widow to report the matter to the local authorities at LCI, LCII and LCIII without help.
She was then advised by her friends to petition the office of the president (RDC).
On Tuesday, July 16, 2024, Baleke convened a village meeting at Matiko A to amicably settle the dispute.
“The bible says, if you can not settle an issue when you are two, invite a third party. If the three people fail, invite others to be five, and if the five fail, go to the general public. We have therefore gathered here as a community to resolve this conflict. My prayer is that we burry our arrogance and be factual so that there is a win-win situation,” said Baleke to the attraction of a thunderous applause.
During the village meeting, it was revealed that the micro irrigation scheme was a government project favoring the two individuals (Wanyama and Lugusi) to which they were supposed to contribute 25% as the beneficiaries.
It was further revealed that in order to get the project, the duo lied to the district authorities that they had approached Florence Wegulo and allowed them to use her land. Availability of the land through which the pipes would pass contributed to the 25%.
But widow informed the Commissioner that the duo just dug a trench through her land and even destroyed her crops without her consent.
“They destroyed my property and did all that without my consent. I am a widow,” Wegulo tearfully pinned her perpetrator in front of the Commissioner in their presence.
Asked to defend themselves, Wanyama and Lugusi stammered as the over 100 community members at the meeting continued to pin them for being hard to live with. In fact some went as far as asking them to relocate.
“No no no. We should co-exist. I am going to have a private meeting with Wanyama, Lugusi, our mother Wegulo, the District Production Officer and Hon councilor representing this Subcounty. Expect good results and please forgive one another,” said Baleke who was flanked by Namayingo DPC, District Crime Intelligence Officer and another detective.
But Patrick Balaza, the chairperson LC1 for Matiko village, said they deliberately failed to settle the conflict because of the arrogance of well-off individuals.
“When she (Wegulo) reported to me, I took an initiative to contact Wanyama, but his response was uncalled for. He said he couldn’t talk to me because he was busy. I also didn’t have any idea about the project, but they kept on undermining me as the area LC1,” Balaza said.
This publication has established that the Commissioner successfully reconciled the parties who even signed an MoU.
