Locals storm Mbarara City Council; want 42 corpses exhumed from their Land
Amos Tayebwa
Mbarara
There is a crisis in Mbarara City with the Council stuck with unclaimed dead bodies due to lack of a cemetery.
Mbarara City Council recently lost a case in court over a cemetery land dispute in Rwobuyenje.
On Thursday last week, a group of Residents from Kakoma in Kakiika Mbarara City North Division stormed Council Offices in a demonstration over dead bodies that were buried in a community Land that contains a water Dam in Kanywa.
Apparently, the Locals of Kakoma Cell led by their Leaders of Mbarara City North Division are battling with top leaders at Mbarara City Council including the Mayor and the Town Clerk that they must exhume the dead bodies that were buried in their Land.
It all started two days earlier (Tuesday evening) when a team from Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital brought about 42 unclaimed dead bodies and dumped them at Mbarara City Council premises claiming that as the Hospital they are congested with dead bodies in the mortuary and they have nowhere to bury them.
Since the City has no Cemetery land, officials were also stuck until the decision was made by one of the top officials from the City that the bodies be taken to Kakoma and be buried on Kanywa land which is said to be public land.
The process of burying these dead bodies was done at night. A group of locals attempted to attack and chase the team of people who were burying the dead bodies but they were battled by the security which was guarding the team from Mbarara City Council as burial activity was going on.
This never ended from there, the next day, Mbarara City North Division Mayor Gumisiriza Kyabwisho went to Police and opened a case against Dr. Kairukye Mugisha, the Mbarara City Health Officer who said to be the one that was heading the team of people who were burying the bodies.
This case is based on grounds that Dr. Kairukye and the City Council did not consult the Division Leadership and the people who use that land and at the same time they use the water from that dam.
Kyabwisho went ahead to mobilize and led a group of Locals who stormed the City Council Offices and Council meeting that was taking place on Thursday as they were seeking for attention and the action about exhuming those bodies from that land.
During Council meeting, there were mixed reactions between the Councilors and the top City leaders over the incident.
Godfrey Baryomunsi, City Councilor representing Kakiika accused the top Leadership of Mbarara City for the decision of taking bodies to Kanywa land.
Baryomunsi said that none of area leaders from Mbarara City North Division was informed or consulted about the decision of burying bodies on the community land where there is even a water dam where people fetch water from.
“Why would you opt to bury dead bodies near the water dam where our people fetch water? Are you not aware that these bodies are going to contaminate our water? why didn’t consult us and the people there? Why didn’t you consult us so that we could look for another land. Am of the view that you go and exhume those dead bodies and take them away, we can’t sit when those bodies are still in Kanywa land,” said Baryomunsi.
Mayor Kyabwisho also told the Council that as Mbarara North Division and the people of Kakoma and Kaywa will not allow dead bodies in their area.
He added that these bodies that were buried on Kanywa land have to be exhumed with immediate effect before these matters escalate.
He further mentioned that Mbarara City had a cemetery land at Rwobuyenje but it was sold by the Leadership of Mbarara City.
“You had your cemetery for the City, but rumors say that you sold it, now where did you buy another land so that you can put those dead bodies? Mbarara City owns land in Kakyera Kiruhura District which is big and far from town, why don’t you take the dead bodies there and remove them from the center of the town? You didn’t even put what they call corporate social responsibility and you didn’t also make an environmental assessment impact before bringing those bodies on Kanywa land where people use the water fetched from the water dam within that land,” said Kyabwisho.
According to the information, it is said that on that land where the bodies have been buried it has a water dam within that serves the whole community for domestic use and their animals. And some groups of locals are using that land for cultivation and livestock.
Kanyawa land is public/ Government land.
Mayor Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi while addressing the Council about this matter said that Mbarara City is currently stuck with dead bodies since the Institution has no cemetery.
He said that the City had no option but to take dead bodies and bury them on Kanywa land because as council they were stuck.
He also mentioned that he has been informed that more 20 dead bodies are yet to be brought to Mbarara City Council because the Hospital is overwhelmed by the increasing number of dead bodies in the mortuary.
Kakyebezi asked the Council during the meeting to consider this issue as an emergency. He asked the people of Kanywa in Kakoma to consider this issue as a crisis and an emergency that concerns everybody.
“To manage this crisis, a temporary burial at council land in Kanywa Kakoma acted as an emergency until a demarcated land can be identified and gazetted by council for this important activity. I request you to be calm because that was just temporary. We are going to cause a stakeholders meeting that will help us to come up with a clear resolution about where we shall put cemeteries,” said Kakyebezi.
Mbarara is planning to have two cemeteries to ensure that each Division (North and South) has its own cemetery.
After a long mixture of reactions in a council meeting, Councilors led by Speaker Bony Karusya Tashobya resolved that the bodies that were buried at Kanywa land be exhumed with immediate effect.
“If those dead bodies were buried in a land where there is a water dam within, with immediate effect the Mayor and the Town Clerk hurry up and ensure that those bodies are removed from that land. No one can allow anybody to bury bodies near water sources, especially water that is used by the people,” the Speaker ordered.
However, by press time, when Mayor Kabwisho was contacted about the implementation of Council’s resolution he said that nothing has already been acted towards exhuming the dead bodies that were buried on Kanywa land.
He further said that no one has even called him for any meeting as it was resolved during the council meeting.
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