When the Mgahinga and Bwindi forests in Uganda were declared national parks in 1991, the hunter-gatherer Batwa people who lived there, found themselves homeless squatters. It wasn’t anything new.

In 1952, the Basongora, a pastoralist tribe, and the Banyabindi (cultivators) suffered the same fate when the colonial government evicted them from their ancestral land in Kasese district in western Uganda, to pave the way for the establishment of the Queen Elizabeth National Park. This meant that the evictees had to find new means of survival.

The Batwa, for example, depended on forest products for their livelihoods while the Basongora had to abandon their pastoralist lifestyle, with some taking up fishing.

That they also own grazing land communally means that the Basongora do not have leases, which makes them vulnerable to evictions and frequent conflict with neighbouring groups, who are mainly farmers. For example, the Basongora accuse the Bakonzo, a dominant tribe in Kasese, with whom they are in constant conflict, of encroaching on their land.

They add that the government has, however, turned a deaf ear to their pleas in favour of the Bakonzo, for fear of the security threat the latter pose.

Since the 1950s, the Bakonzo have harboured the idea of creating their own “republic,” and even started the Rwenzururu Movement/Rebellion in 1961— an armed struggle in which tribal leaders unilaterally declared independence from the Tooro Kingdom. The uprising, seen as a threat to national unity, lasted till 1982.

The minority tribes also complain of destruction of property, loss of lives, discrimination and marginalisation. They say that their troubles are magnified by the fact that they do not enjoy political representation.

Museveni’s assurance

Last month, on March 10, President Yoweri Museveni told a delegation from Kasese who had paid him a courtesy call at State House Entebbe that their complaints would be discussed by stakeholders, adding that the Constitution outlaws sectarian marginalisation and guarantees all Ugandans freedom to enjoy their rights.

“It is not correct for you to suspect all the Bakonzo of ill intentions,” said President Museveni. “Instead, you should work to expose the promoters of tribal chauvinism.”

But not even President Museveni’s assurance seems to have calmed things down.

Basongora’s Prince Kennedy Bwebale, said that the government is always out to appease the Bakonzo for fear of another uprising.

“Whenever the Basongora present their demands to the government, we are told to wait; Our demands are usually met after they have satisfied those of the Bakonzo,” said Prince Bwebale.

According to Banyabindi Cultural and Development Trust chairman Augustine Amooti Byabasaija, among the top problems the community faces is lack of land.

“We have resorted to hiring land, but we can’t get more than an acre because we lack the money to acquire it. This has kept us backward. Some of us owned as much as 200 acres, which has either been grabbed or turned into a national park,” said Byabasaija.

He said that the Banyabindi had suffered the most as a result of the conflict between Tooro Kingdom and the Bakonzo.

“We have not enjoyed peace. No one is ready to fight for us. The government only listens to the Tooro Kingdom and the Bakonzo because of their large numbers,” said Byabasaija.

Affirmative action

According to the tribal leaders, their displacement left them in abject poverty with no means of production and no access to quality education.

Febronia Nsungwa, an elderly woman from the tribe, said: “We have been reduced to begging or hiring land to grow our food; we can’t raise school fees for our children or build modern houses with iron sheets.”

For the Basongora, the lack of grazing land is a continuing challenge.

“There is no grazing land in this area,” said Basongora’s minister for community rights Daniel Imara Kashagama. “Without grazing land we are no longer Basongora because we are pastoralists.”

Now the Banyabindi want the government to come to their rescue by not just allocating them land and compensating them for lost lives and destroyed property, but also through affirmative action, by guaranteeing their political representation, introducing poverty eradication schemes and promoting their cultural heritage.

“Land is the basis for development. If we don’t have access to land, we will fast become extinct,” said Byabasaija. “The government is targeting 15,800 acres for a resettlement exercise. Our position is that this is inadequate; we need an additional 2,508 acres to resettle all the Banyabindi.”

The Kampala-based Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda (CCFU) stated in its 2015 policy brief titled, The Cultural Rights of Ethnic Minorities in Uganda – A call for action that ethnic minorities have frequently been evicted and displaced from their ancestral land, resulting in the grave loss of their tangible and intangible heritage.

“This must be corrected in a respectful, just and consistent way,” the brief notes.

Access to land

The foundation argues that where an ethnic minority has been displaced from its ancestral land (either because of conflict or to create a national park or forest reserve), access to land as a source of cultural identity is critical. Land is associated with sites and other resources, including sacred places of worship, historical sites, sacred rivers and streams for ritual cleansing, and as sources of medicinal herbs.

According to the policy brief, several factors account for limited access to land. Among them are restrictions by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and the fact that some cultural sites are on private property that, once sold, the new owners rarely respect its cultural value.

Other reasons are destruction by religious institutions (especially shrines) and population pressure. In addition, cultural sites were originally protected by the elders but youth may not prioritise this for lack of awareness of their value.

There is, however, an increasing acceptance by UWA and the National Forestry Authority (NFA) that ethnic minority groups be allowed access to cultural sites, medicinal plants, and raw materials for craft making within protected areas. 

“If this is permitted, UWA and NFA official regulations and related government policies should be in place to not only guarantee access and fully protect such culturally significant sites, but also to provide authority to the concerned communities to sustainably co-manage these resources, including tourism development,” said CCFU. “Where needed, UWA and NFA could build the local communities’ knowledge on the importance of preservation of the ecosystem.”

Cultural identity

The brief further suggests that there is a need to put up nurseries where raw materials for cultural items are under threat; that NFA allows the continuation of cultural and agricultural activities in protected forests while local personnel be deployed to protect them from encroachers who farm in the interior and destroy the large trees; and from charcoal burners; and that NFA provide seeds or seedlings to regenerate bio-diversity and medicinal plants where need be.

CCFU also calls for urgent affirmative action for ethnic minorities who, due to their small population, limited exposure and relatively low levels of education, suffer from limited political representation, especially at district and national levels.

“At district level, their representation is uncommon at best while nationally there is no representation dedicated to ethnic minority groups. As a result, laws are flouted, there is insufficient security and decisions affecting them are taken without their consultation,” notes the brief.

The recognition of administrative boundaries was, however, appreciated where this had taken place. The Ik, for instance, acknowledge that when they were granted their own sub-county, Kamion in Kaabong district in July 2010, it contributed to a better recognition of their cultural identity.

Even at local administrative level, representation is often lacking. In Ikland, for example, the sub-county chief and most officials are non-Ik. Similarly, the Benet occupy the Benet sub-county, and while there is one chairperson, the Benet are not the majority in the sub-county, making political representation difficult.

Political representation

“We lack political representation right from the Local Council III level up to Parliament to articulate our issues,” said Stella Akiiki Bwebale, the “Queen” of Busongora.

According to the Banyabindi Cultural and Development Trust secretary general, Joseph Basaliza, the tribe is not represented in the 31 sub-counties in Kasese District and at the District Council.

“When it comes to voting, the majority community wins the day,” he said.

Basaliza suggests that the appointing authority should consider minorities for political office. There should be separate administrative units like parishes, sub-counties, constituencies and districts to specifically cater for minorities.

Also proposed are reserved seats in parliament to increase the representation of ethnic minorities. Beyond this, a proportional electoral system would ensure their presence in decision-making, as would a bicameral system (with a senate representing different ethnic groups).

CCFU adds that there is a need for better representation at district and local levels by providing opportunities to hear minority voices and employing their educated representatives, such as sub-county chiefs and technical personnel. Where issues directly concern minority groups, the government needs to consult before making any decision.