The Presidential Special Task Force on land and environmental matters has stepped in to suspend all ongoing activities on a contentious piece of land in Lira City, which has sparked a long-standing feud between the Uganda Police Force and the Lira District Local Government.
The directive comes after a formal petition from a concerned individual, Gobba Benard, who accuses the Uganda Police Force of unlawfully fencing off land situated at Plot 2 and Plot 3 on Obua Otoa Close, in Ojwina Division, Lira City West.
The land in question is part of a block of 12 plots located at the former Ireda Housing Estate.
These plots were previously contested in High Court Miscellaneous Cause No. 016 of 2018, which concluded that the land legally belongs to the Uganda Police Force, though it had been fraudulently acquired between 2019 and 2020.
Brigadier General (Retired) Moses Lukyamuzi, the head of the Presidential Task Force, has issued a directive halting all land-related activities by both the Lira District Council and the Lira District Land Board.
He emphasized that the suspension will remain in effect until a pending court matter — specifically Miscellaneous Application No. 54 of 2025 — is fully resolved.
To further probe the matter, Brig. Gen. Lukyamuzi has summoned all parties involved to attend a fact-finding meeting scheduled for August 6, 2025, in Kampala.
Despite a High Court interim order issued in May that barred the police from accessing the disputed land, local residents have reported continued activity by the police, including the use of tractors and fencing operations.
Confirming the ongoing developments, North Kyoga Regional Police Spokesperson Jimmy Patrick Okema acknowledged that police works on the land are still underway.
Earlier this month, Inspector General of Police Abas Byakagaba took a firm stance on the issue, ordering the cancellation of all land titles previously issued to private individuals on the disputed plots.
He instructed that new titles be re-issued in the name of the Uganda Police Force.
The origins of the land conflict trace back to 2018, when the Lira District Local Government moved to subdivide and allocate the land to private developers.
However, this action was challenged and subsequently blocked by public interest lawyers from the firm M/s Akoko, Ojok, Omara & Co. Advocates, who argued in favor of preserving the land for public use.
With the Presidential Task Force now involved, attention shifts to the upcoming meeting in Kampala, which may shape the next chapter of this high-profile land dispute.
