More than 4,000 residents of Kagadi District in Uganda are embroiled in a wrangle with a woman who claims they are illegally occupying her land.

The contested land covers the villages of Lyanda A, Lyanda B, Katerera A, Katerera B, Muzizi, Muruha, Katoma, and Kyaterekera Town Council in Kagadi District.

The locals, some of whom say they have lived on the land in question for 70 years, accuse Ms Agnes Korugyendo of attempting to grab what is legally theirs.

“Three weeks ago, local leaders got phone calls warning that we would be kicked off the land. Since then, our lives have been full of fear. No one wants to buy land here anymore because of fake land titles. But we are not going anywhere. If we have to die here, so be it,” said Ms Noume Ahumuza, a resident of Katerera A.

Mr Enock Tembo, the LC1 chairperson of Lyanda A, said Ms Korugyendo called him in September, telling him to order people off the land.

“I asked her who sold her the land, who signed the documents, and how long she has had the land title. She could not answer clearly. She just said she got it five years ago, but people were already living there. I have lived here for 40 years, and her title is only 20 years old. So, who really owns this land?” Mr Tembo asked.

He added that his family officially settled on the land in 1989, after buying it in 1987 from a man named Ibrahim Genura, who even donated part of the land for building a church.

“Mr President, the people here are strong. We have survived hard times before. Please help us. Some local leaders are helping these land grabbers,” Mr Tembo said.

Mr John Malai, the chairperson of Katerera A Cell, said someone tried to bribe him with Shs5 million to sign off land in Muruha, near Kangombe Forest, but he refused.

“I could not betray my people or put future generations at risk. I have lived here for 70 years with my family, including 16 children and 67 grandchildren. We are living in fear every day,” he said.

Another resident, Mr Christopher Ntanda, said he is being targeted because he is on the local land committee and has rejected bribes from people trying to grab land.

“These land titles are fake. In all my years on the land committee, I have never seen such documents brought in for approval. I have lived here for 35 years and bought my land from local people,” he said.

Mr Alex Turyasingura from Katerera recalled a similar situation in 1990, when a man named Raphil burnt down homes, claiming the land was his. The residents went to court in Masindi and won the case.

“Now this woman, Korugyendo, is doing the same thing. She is just another land grabber. We know the President is aware of our situation, and we are asking him to step in,” he said.

Most people in Kagadi are farmers. Even though the government has brought electricity and schools to the area, residents are afraid that everything they have built could be lost.

Last Friday, Kagadi Resident District Commissioner, Ms Caroline Nanshemeza, visited the villages to calm the situation.

“My job is to protect you and your land. No one is going to evict you. Go back to your work and continue living here…,” she told residents.

She promised that any fake land titles would be cancelled after proper checks and asked locals to register their land with the district land office.

When contacted, Ms Agnes Korugyendo said she legally acquired the land. She added: “I visited the place and found people occupying my land. I want them to leave.”

Locals said this is not the first time someone has tried to take the land. In 2016, a similar situation occurred, but leaders failed to find a lasting solution.