KASESE DISTRICT TOP LEADERS SPEAK OUT ON CONFLICTS

12^th July 2016 was a day when Good Hope Foundation for Rural Development engaged the Kasese District Deputy Resident District Commissioner, Chief administrative officer, Senior Community development officer, Chairperson Local council five delegate and other leaders on conflicts and human rights abuses in Kasese District at the District Head quarters.

European Union through HIVOS is funding Good Hope Foundation for Rural Development under RWECO to conduct several actions on the project titled; community action to prevent and manage conflicts and Human rights abuses in Rwenzori Region. Leaders were sensitized on the community led approach of managing conflicts, as well as agreeing with them on how we should cooperate during project implementation until December 2018.

Having a sharing about community action to prevent and manage conflicts and Human rights violations with the Kasese District Deputy RDC in her office.

The following issues were raised by the leaders;

• Some radicals easily influence local people to cause local conflicts. Community based organizations to be engaged in the project should therefore be carefully selected and trained very well for the implementation of project activities. They must be insulated against politics, and skill them in conflicts prevention and management.
• Failure to share the right information, at the right time, and to the right audience also breed conflicts. It is therefore pertinent that Information sharing with the District authorities on the progress of the project be prioritized as a mechanism of building support for the project by District leadership and minimize any potential conflict that may arise between the two parties.
• Some interventions by other stakeholders are being made in communities that we know are not conflict prone. There is need therefore to concentrate on areas known to be prone to conflicts in the District and cause a visible impact like Bigando in Kitswamba, Munkunyu for Mbondi Muhasa land conflict and Karusandara Sub County.
• Technical leaders are not being engaged in conflicts prevention activities and yet they have influence on allocation of resources and implementation. Other conflicts in Kasese also emanate from un fair access to resources by communities. Both Technical and political leaders should therefore be engaged both in the Project activities implementation to embrace multi-sectoral engagement.
• Duplication of work do exist because of failure to agree on who to do what, and where. There is therefore need to harmonize working relationship with other organizations working on peace in the District to avoid duplication.
• Some of the conflicts in the District are incited by leaders who participate in land grabbing and politicizing issues that result into conflicts e.g Bigando (Kitswamba) and kabukero (Karusandara).
• Household poverty is threatening peaceful co-existence in communities. It is progressively becoming hard for the rich and poor to peacefully co-exist because the poor feel marginalized by the rich.
• Every one in Kasese District is a potential trigger of a conflict. “Some top leaders who would be protecting people’s property in the District for example are involved in land grabbing that result into conflicts. Do not under estimate any one’s role in causing conflict in Kasese District” Narrated by one of the District leaders met.

 

The representative of the LCV Chairperson, Hon.Muthanaba Patrick, Kasese District secretary for works, narrating the causes of conflicts in Kasese District and how politicians are committed to supporting any stakeholder in conflict prevention and management

Actions taken/Proposed

·         SMART Plan on how project activities are to be implemented should be drawn and followed, then evaluated to assess impact.

·         Intensive sensitization on peaceful co-existence in Kasese District targeting a wider community should be conducted, continuously.

·         Good Hope and RWECO at large should create Linkages for local communities with other Organizations implementing projects on livelihood promotion as a strategy of preventing conflicts emanating from poverty.