news 11 May 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Tororo Families Face Dire Straits as SGR Compensation Remains Unpaid After a Decade
Ten years after displacement for the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project, numerous families in Tororo are living in extreme hardship, with some elderly residents dying without receiving compensation, leaving behind orphans and unfulfilled dreams. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/sgr-compensation-10-year-delay-leaves-tororo-families-in-limbo-5454654
For a decade, over fifty families in Kasoli Village, Tororo Municipality, have been living in limbo, displaced to make way for the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project. Many, like 55-year-old widow Binti Ogema, who once owned a 12-room house used for both residence and business, have been left with nothing but broken promises.
Ogema, now caring for 20 people including her four children and several orphans whose parents died while waiting for compensation, struggles daily to provide basic necessities. Her family often survives on a single meal a day, a stark contrast to her original plans of using compensation money to rebuild her life.
The villagers were first evaluated by the Chief Government Valuer in 2016 and instructed to open bank accounts, but the promised compensation has never materialized. This prolonged delay has led to immense frustration, with some affected persons developing serious health complications like diabetes and high blood pressure, and at least eight passing away without receiving their due.
Despite repeated assurances and even a parliamentary petition in 2022, the issue remains unresolved. Officials in the Ministry of Lands and Ministry of Works have exchanged correspondences regarding the compensation, but the project-affected persons are still waiting. Some affected individuals suspect misappropriation of funds, alleging that top SGR officials have falsely informed the President that all compensation has been settled.
Local leaders, including Tororo District LC5 Chairman John Okeya, acknowledge the legitimacy of the claims, suggesting the delay might stem from unauthenticated lists of affected persons during the initial compensation process. As the SGR project, aimed at boosting regional trade, moves forward with commissioned lines, the plight of these Tororo families underscores a critical failure in ensuring that those displaced are adequately compensated.