Buvuma Palm Oil Project: 5,000 reject compensation for land

March 7, 2018

By SEATINI

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Meeting: Residents of Nkuusi Village in Busamuza Sub-county, Buvuma District, meet officials from Vegetable Oil Development Project recently

Buvuma. About 5,000 residents in the Island district of Buvuma have rejected a government proposal to compensate them for their land to pave way for oil palm growing, claiming their property was undervalued. This comes after government unveiled a programme for the relocation and resettlement of the affected people late last year.

Residents led by Mr Mohammed Ssengooba said they will not hand over their pieces of land to Buvuma palm oil project managers until they are given fair compensation. The oil project is a component of the Vegetable Oil Development Project (VODP) under the Ministry of Agriculture. The affected residents, mainly bibanja (plots) holders, are in Busamuzi Sub-county and some parts of Buvuma Town Council.

“The project coordinators and valuers cheated us, they undervalued our property and they did not compensate us for the bibanja,” Mr Ssengooba said during a recent consultative meeting at Nkuusi Village in Busamizi.

Buvuma Palm Oil Project: 5,000 reject compensation for land