Gen Kakono deployed troops in Hoima with approval, UPDF says

The UPDF says it will keep troops on disputed land in Hoima District, rejecting claims that one of its generals helped allocate the property unlawfully.

The dispute concerns more than 2,400 acres at Kapaapi in Kigorobya County. According to a Weekend Vision report cited by the army, the family of the late Tito Byangire has petitioned President Yoweri Museveni over the land and accused Maj Gen Daniel Kakono of engineering its unlawful allocation.

In a statement issued on September 26, 2026, UPDF spokesperson Col Chris Magezi denied the allegation. He said the underlying dispute was between the Byangire family and more than 1,000 bibanja holder households, some of whom were affected by projects in the Albertine region.

Magezi alleged that hundreds of occupants were evicted in early 2023. He said homes were burnt, animals were killed or stolen, and residents reported rape and assault. He also alleged that some security personnel took part. The army said authorities were investigating the incidents and would pursue those responsible.

According to Magezi, then lands state minister Sam Mayanja ordered the evicted occupants resettled in October 2025. Hoima police subsequently requested UPDF support through the district security committee, and the army cleared Kakono to deploy troops, he said.

“Maj. Gen. Kakono continues to maintain troop presence in the area with the knowledge and strategic directives of government and the UPDF leadership,” Magezi said.

The UPDF says the troops remain to prevent violence while the land dispute continues. The statement did not say when they would leave or how the competing claims to the land would be resolved.