Army big shot issued with arrest warrant over land

By Sania Babirye
The commander of Reserve Forces Maj. Gen. Charles Otema Awany  has been  issued with a warrant of arrest  by the Land probe commission  following his failure to return before the commission as ordered before.

The senior army official is being investigated  by the commission on allegations that he illegally evicted over  6000 people from their land  from Obira Parish in Nwoya district.

This is after the alleged victims led by a one Pierino Jathim from the Jonam tribe appeared before the commission and accused the General of grabbing their land.

The said land is being contested for by the Acholis and the Jonam tribes.

However when General Otema appeared before the commission on the 17th of August, he denied the allegations calling them politically motivated.

He was later ordered by the commission chair Justice Catherine Bamugemeire to re-appear on the 20th of August which he failed to honour forcing justice Bamugemeire to re-summon and issue a warrant of arrest for him.

He has now been ordered to be produced before the commission not later than the 3rd of September next week before the same commission for further interrogation.

In his defense,  General Otema claims that  all the land he has, he aquired it legally and also advised thd commission to investigate whether the land initially  belonged to the Acholis or Jonams before it was turned into public land .