Panic grips students as landlady orders school eviction
More than 300 students at Kayindu Secondary School in Luweero District are facing eviction after the landlady issued a vacate notice. The situation has caused widespread panic among students, teachers, and parents.
Established in 1982 as a community school, Kayindu Secondary School occupies five acres of land donated by David Ssemwogerere who inherited the land from his father, David Muzanyi, who passed away in 1949.
However, last year, 83-year-old Kasalina Navuga, claiming to be Muzanyi’s daughter, emerged with a land title issued in 2019, asserting ownership of the property (block 10 plot 116). Navuga alleges she obtained the title through inheritance.
On January 31, 2024, through her lawyer, Alex Kiyimba, Navuga informed the school administration and local authorities of her intention to take immediate possession of the land. Citing the school’s failure to regularize their occupancy or provide proof of ownership, the notice declared that anyone found on the premises after February 3, 2024, would be considered trespassing and prosecuted.
Luweero District Chairman Erastus Kibirango convened a meeting with parents, the landlord, and local leaders at the school to seek a solution.
“We have advised that they should talk in terms of seeing how she would relate well with her tenants,” Mr Kibirango said.
The headteacher of Kayindu Secondary School acknowledged the school’s reopening for the new term but highlighted the prevailing fear due to the impending eviction.
He emphasized the lack of progress in previous attempts to dialogue with the alleged landlady and stressed the absence of alternative placements for the 300 affected students. The headteacher appealed to the district leadership to intervene and prevent the eviction.
