A section of Karamojong residents in Moroto district who have embraced community land associations. Photo by PPU
By Arnest Tumwesige
Moroto: Karamoja sub-region is endowed with several minerals and is a center of attraction for many investors.
However, to ensure that many benefit from the land, which is largely owned by the communities, they have formed associations to register such land.
With the help of the Ministry of Land Housing and Urban Development, communities like in Tapac sub-county in Moroto district own thousands of hectares are reaping under Naita A-Tepeth Community Land Association (CLA).
Two CLAs have gotten Certificates of Customary Ownership (CCOs) for 40,000 hectares and 46,000 hectares, and nine people were elected to represent the interests of the landowners.
Dennis Obbo the spokesperson for the Ministry told GNNA that the Tepeth were advised to form CLA and get CCOs because it is all-inclusive.
CLA helps to legalize investment
Following the registration of the land, the CLAs got an investment opportunity from Tororo Cement to establish a clinker factory on their land.
Clinker is a raw material that contributes 80% to the cement composition. Manufacturing clinker from Uganda implies that cement production and jobs will increase.
Similarly, in the greater Rupa sub-county, John Bosco Logwe the chairperson of Rupa Community Development Trust (RUCODET) said since registering their land under CCO, they have received three investors with the recent one being Sunbird Resources Limited.
The company was awarded a 21-year large-scale mining license by the government of Uganda in February 2024, covering 11km squared as a project area to mine and establish the first factory in the Karamoja sub-region.
However, RUCODET, which negotiated on behalf of the landowners, gave the company a lease of 49 years to allow the establishment of the factory and production to attract profits.
How does the community benefit?
Two agreements were signed, the surface rights agreement worth shs8b as a premium, and the community development agreement which was previously known as corporate social responsibility, worth shs6.8b, but in kind.
Logwe further explained that the funds under community development would be used to pay and facilitate locals who will contribute local content in the form of sand, blocks, and stone aggregates during the construction stage.
Some other services provided include having a health center III that is soon to be constructed, and an ambulance that has already been given. Also, being a cattle-rearing community, the community will benefit from a small dam built by the investors on 10 acres of land.
“The children of the natives were promised 10 scholarships every year for 49 years and so far, 20 students have already enrolled at different universities in the country,” Lgowe told GNNA.
The three clans that formed the RUCODET community decided to share shs8b according to the head of the household, reaching over 1700 beneficiaries including those who relocated. The highest family got shs4m and the lowest shs3m.
In addition, the community is also being paid a sum of shs100m per year as ground rent, and the money is used to buy foodstuff which is distributed to the most hunger-affected people. Part of the money is for paying some students in secondary schools.
Removing the speculators
Caesar Akol, the Moroto district speaker, noted that there has been an influx of different people including genuine and fake investors after knowing that the region is full of minerals.
The community, therefore, formed the CLAs to create a solid and secure way of dealing with investors and knock out speculators.
Akol, however, noted that there is an over-expectation for personal gains from the population, instead of community investments.
There is ongoing construction of a vocational technical training institute for skill school dropouts to offer other services to investors.
George William Wopuwa, the Moroto Resident District Commissioner, commended the three clans for coming together to register their land.
Wopuwa noted that by using the association, the community would have a stronger bargaining power, compared to when they are negotiating individually.
According to Wopuwa, Tororo Cement is going to pay shs10m for 500 acres of land where the clinker factory is going to be established.
Then, 9,400 acres are going to be leased at shs5m per acre and the government is already looking for that money through the Uganda Investment Authority to pay about shs47b,” Wopuwa further commented on the clinker factory.
