Atuk, 96, who reclaimed her land with help from partners. Photos by Walter Okot
By Walter Okot
Amuru: There was ululation when Rose Atuk, a resident of Turdakatuba Village, Amuru sub-county in Amuru District, regained her land after ten years.
Atuk, 96, her daughters, and grandchildren, had been embroiled in a protracted wrangle with her neighbor and brother-in-law, over a chunk of land measuring 14 acres since 2013.
Atuk, a widow and a mother of nine revealed that her trouble started when her brother-in-law began assaulting and chasing her away from the land, years after her husband and sons died.
After facing several threats over the land, Atuk reported the case to Amuru sub-county, early 2023. The sub-county referred her to Redeem International, an organization partnering with local law enforcement authorities to protect widows and orphans from violent abuse and exploitation.
On November 28, 2023, the Grade One Magistrate in Amuru, Godfrey Aballa, ruled in Atuk’s favor. With support from Redeem International, Atuk’s land is now titled in her name.
“I am a widow taking care of my grandchildren because my sons died together with their wives. I’m glad I now own the land without threat,” Atuk said.
Land grabbing from widows common
Atuk is among the 13 widows who are victims of violence due to land grabbing, but their hopes were restored after Redeem International supported them in taking their case to court.
Grabbing of land from widows is rampant in Amuru Sub-County, with eight cases currently registered with the area land committee office, said Michael Tokwaro, chairperson of the committee.
“Most of the perpetrators of the land conflict are family members who grab land to sell and buy motorcycles,” Tokwaro explained.
Tokwaro appealed to the government to take measures to regulate land sales and empower the cultural institutions to control land sales to reduce the rampant cases of land grabbing.
Land grabbing is also common because, in the first farming season, youth look at land as a resource that they can grab and sell to get money quickly, said David Ocira, the LCIII Chairperson Amuru sub-County.
Ocira appealed to clan leaders to protect widows and not chase them from their husbands’ land, saying the law gives them full ownership.
John Williams Eciru, the Amuru district police Community Liaison Officer, argues that land grabbing is rampant because the community still looks at women as having no land rights.
Eciru lauded Redeem International for their support in helping struggling widows get justice over their land. He, however, cautioned the widows against selling their titled land.
“Be careful as you get titles of your land. Do not sell your land because many people will come with good money to buy since you have a land title. Please, keep your land so that your children can use it in the future,” Eciru advised.
Patience Aber, the Community Liaison Officer at Redeem International Gulu Field Office revealed that the widows were offered free legal services, which saw them win back their land rights.
Aber said the organization helps the widows access the support of the public justice system like the police, Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP), judiciary, and other partners to secure land where there are cases of threats or looming eviction.
According to Aber the organization has for the past three years resolved 13 cases of land conflict through court or mediation restored 556 victims of land disputes, and supported more than 2,000 victims.
“This is a testimony that the public justice system works very efficiently and effectively in resolving matters,” Aber said.
Support to the widows
Aber said they supported the widows by transporting them to and from court and providing feeding, counseling, and treatment at St. Mary’s Hospital Lacor and Light Ray Health Centre.
After a consent judgment was passed in favor of the widows, the organization conducted a preliminary land survey, opened land boundaries and put mark stones to secure the land forever, and worked with the district to title the land.
Aber said they also provide modest capital for the widows to start income-generating activities especially businesses to support their families.
She said they pick two children from each widow, and train them to learn vocational skills like motorcycle repair, carpentry and joinery, hairdressing, garment cutting and tailoring, bricklaying, and concrete practices among others, so that they can sustainably provide for their families.
