Lyantonde Residents Oust RDC Over Disputed Village Stamp

Tensions flared in Lyantonde District as residents of Kasaana-Nabigoye Village ejected Deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Vanansuon Bagatire from a crucial village meeting.

The meeting was convened to resolve a dispute over a village stamp, which residents had reportedly kept from a former village chairperson. The RDC had given residents a strict five-hour ultimatum to hand over the stamp to the individual he recognized as the legitimate winner of the recent local elections.

However, the villagers vehemently opposed this, asserting that the RDC-backed chairperson was not their chosen leader. The situation escalated when security forces, led by Bagatire and including police, gathered for a meeting intended to recover the stamp. Journalists were reportedly barred from attending this closed-door session.

Bagatire also instructed individuals he deemed non-residents to leave the meeting, accusing them of interference. He further alleged that the former village chairperson was colluding with residents to retain the stamp. When the former chairperson did not appear after a 10-minute grace period, the RDC reiterated the meeting’s objective to retrieve the stamp.

This announcement provoked anger among the residents, who then demanded the RDC and his entourage depart. They accused the RDC of bias, stating that the electoral and administrative channels should handle the dispute, not the RDC’s intervention. Residents emphasized that the stamp belongs to the village and will not be relinquished to an unelected individual.

The absence of the village stamp has disrupted the operations of the Kaliiro Town Council, affecting government programs. The Town Clerk confirmed that multiple attempts to retrieve the stamp have been unsuccessful. Meanwhile, the RDC-recognized chairperson, Habiibu Mulindwa, claims his predecessor misused the stamp and that its withholding impedes his duties. The residents remain firm in their stance, awaiting a resolution to the election dispute by the appropriate authorities.

This dispute has left village administration in limbo, with residents calling for intervention from higher authorities to determine the rightful elected leader.

Source: Nile Post