The Soroti City Woman Member of Parliament Joan Alobo Acom has ganged with the public to recover land belonging to Moru apesur P/S from the encroachers.
On Saturday 6th April 2024, a community Barraza was held at the school to probe the loss of over 75 plots of land belonging to Moru apesur primary School, a government school located in Kigandani Cell, Moru apesur Ward in Soroti City East.
Moru apesur Primary School is among the several schools in the region victimized by illegally losing huge land to the encroachers.
Mr. Moses Ecuru the P.T.A Chairman said that the school is highly vulnerable to the City tycoons conniving with a section of city staff to part with the School land.
“The School has continued receiving threats from those encroaching land, they now claim a total of 75 plots including the playground. It has beaten our minds on how these people acquired the land titled to the school”, he said.
Moru apesur Primary School was founded in the year 1990 by the late Cuthbert Joseph Obwangor, the Former Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs of Uganda in the government of Apollo Milton Obote.
The School later started operating in June 1991 with an aim of providing education to thousands of the internally displaced children of Teso Sub – region who had settled at different suburbs of Soroti during the LRA versus the UPA insurgency from early 1986 up to 1996.
The school also played a pivotal role in hosting the internally displaced people by the Lord’s Resistance Army Rebels of Joseph Kony between the years 2001 to 2004 where it served as their home of confinement.
Mr. Tom Ewoku, aresident in Moruapesur cell said that some of the IDPs who squatted in the school land have ended up claiming part of it.
“As a resident who grew up here since my childhood, I am so shocked to notice that the same people who settled in the school when we were pupils in this school have shamelessly claimed the land belonging to the school,” he said.
Squatters drag the School and council to court
It should be noted that in 2016, one Lawrence Olinga and 27 others drugged Moru apesur Primary School and Soroti Municipal Council to Soroti High Court Court claiming the school land.
On 4th October 2022, the case was dismissed by His Lordship Honorable Dr. Justice Henry Peter Adonyo, the resident Judge Soroti on the grounds that the plaintiffs are sitting tenants on the suit land at Kigandani Cell, Moru apesur ward, Eastern Division of Soroti City.
Secondly that the first Defendant and that is Moru apesur P/S shall plan for the suit land and the plaintiffs shall be given first priorities to plan for the plots.
MP Joan Alobo (Arrow Girl) roars at the land grabbers of Moruapesur P.S
The Soroti City Woman Member of Parliament Joan Alobo Acom who on Saturday held a community Barraza at the school premises to probe the land grabbing.
Alobo vowed to ring-fence the school land and have it protected for education services for the young children.
She called on the public to stand with the school to have its land recovered and properly planned for.
“This is totally bad and highly unacceptable, no one should shamelessly claim the land belonging to the school at the watch of the public and leaders,” she said.
Adding, “I am aware of the government schools in Soroti City that have lost their land to such invaders including Nakatunya P.S Pamba P.S, Swaria P.S among others. I have raised these reports to the Ministry of Education officials and we are both ganging up to uproot all of them and have the schools recover their land.”
