A man who violently chased families off their land in Kiboga District has been convicted and sentenced to one and a half years in prison for his role in an illegal and brutal eviction.
The Kiboga Magistrates Court found Ronald Ainebyona guilty of forcible entry, malicious damage to property, and assault causing actual bodily harm after he led a violent operation to take over land in Lwakonge Village.
Court heard that on 14 March 2025, Ainebyona stormed land located on Block 542, Plot 2, where several residents were living and farming.
Without any court order, he forcefully entered the land, chased away the occupants, and destroyed their crops and plantations, leaving families homeless and without their main source of livelihood.
During the eviction, Ainebyona and his group physically attacked some of the residents, causing injuries and spreading fear among the community. The violence was used to intimidate people into abandoning the land.
The illegal eviction followed a land dispute between a group of departed Asians, who hold a freehold title dating back to 1932, and Badru Mwanje, who obtained a mailo title in 1999.
Ainebyona claimed he was acting on behalf of the departed Asians, but the court ruled that no one has the right to enforce land claims through violence.
Following a directive from President Museveni, the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, working with the Police, the Ministry of Lands, and the Director of Public Prosecutions, investigated the matter and arrested Ainebyona.
In sentencing him to one and a half years in prison or a fine of shs3.5 million, the court said his actions were criminal and dangerous, stressing that land disputes must be resolved through lawful means, not through force and intimidation.
