Maria Nakut- at 65 years lives in Nadunget Sub County in Moroto district. She was denied her right to access and possess land which she inherited from her father. A son to her father’s shepherd claimed ownership of the land, arguing that being a woman, Maria had no right to inherit the land. When she learnt about her rights through ULS awareness sessions, Maria reported the matter to Longora Gabriel, the Uganda Law Society (ULS) community paralegal in Nadunget.
In 2015, Kabarole Research Center (KRC) organized specialized training for Change Agents in the 21 sub-counties of the Rwenzori Region.
The trainings were inspired by Tinfayo; a satirical story that is meant to make citizens understand the need for an active role in holding their leaders accountable rather than the passive role which has left them as beggars ripped of their own rights. The trainings embedded reflective questions and challenged participants to play their roles and responsibilities as citizens.
Tinfayo Story Awakens Communities to Fight for Their Rights
For a long time, residents of Muhokya Sub-County in the neighborhood of Queen Elizabeth National Park faced the wrath of elephants that destroyed their crops and in some instances killed people. They did not know how to seek reparation.After attending civic education trainings organized by Kabarole Research Centre (KRC), a DGF Partner that uses the “Tinfayo” satirical story (page 37), the community members reflected on and identified the issue of the wild animals as a major problem in the area. They also shared their frustration because the local government was not doing anything to protect them from wild animals, which had caused insurmountable destruction.
600 Hectare Land Dispute Resolved
300 households against one family over land was definitely a recipe for violence and bloodshed. This was the dilemma that prevailed in Rusoona village, situated in Kiziranfumbi Sub County, approximately 40 kms from Hoima Town. When Civic Response on Environment and Development (CRED), a DGF Partner visited the village in 2014 to sensitize the community on land issues, some of the residents heeded the advice that was given to have their land parcels registered. It was then that a heated conflict that was taking place in the village surfaced. A prominent family headed by one Mzee Kaseregenyi had commenced the process of titling 600 hectares of land, an action that would disenfranchise 300 households in the village.
Youth Drama Group Changes the Face of Mbalambuti Sub County
Established 3 years ago, Kiyunga youth drama group was initially formed to raise funds through entertainment. However, when DGF partner Communication for Development Foundation (CDFU) introduced “Rock point 256”, a radio drama broadcast twice a week on 24 stations that models and reinforces behavioural change, the group started listening to and discussing the episodes every Friday. Prompted by the episodes, the attitudes of the group members on service delivery in their community changed dramatically. They began to identify loopholes that required redress and approaches to tackle them.