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Cattle Rustling and Competing Land Claims: Understanding Struggles Over Land in Bunambutye, Eastern Uganda

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 July 2022

Pamela Khanakwa Open the ORCID record for Pamela Khanakwa [Opens in a new window]
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Abstract

Bulambuli district in eastern Uganda suffered chronic insecurity arising from cattle rustling since the 1960s and recently became awash with escalating land conflicts. Focusing on the disputed ownership over Plot 94 in Bunambutye, Khanakwa examines the intersection between cattle rustling, land conflicts, and peace-building. While scholarship often overlooks the relationship between livestock theft and social conflict, evidence from Bulambuli highlights the efforts of affected communities vis-à-vis the failures of local political leadership to resolve tensions. The Ugandan government’s failure to enforce recommendations in a timely manner speaks to the urgency of arbitration and cancellation of fraudulent land titles.

Résumé

Résumé

Le district de Bulambuli, dans l’est de l’Ouganda, a souffert d’une insécurité chronique due au vol de bétail depuis les années 1960 et a une escalade récente de conflits agraires. En se concentrant sur la propriété contestée de la parcelle 94 de Bunambutye, Khanakwa examine l’intersection entre le vol de bétail, les conflits agraires et la consolidation de la paix. Alors que les chercheurs négligent souvent la relation entre le vol de bétail et les conflits sociaux, l’exemple de Bulambuli met en lumière les efforts des communautés affectées face à l’incapacité des dirigeants politiques locaux à résoudre les tensions. Le fait que le gouvernement ougandais n’ait pas appliqué les recommandations en temps voulu montre l’urgence de l’arbitrage et de l’annulation des titres agraires frauduleux.

Resumo

Resumo

O distrito de Bulambuli, no leste do Uganda, sofre desde a década de 1960 de uma insegurança crónica resultante do roubo de gado e foi recentemente assolado por um agravamento dos conflitos relativos a terras. Concentrando-se na contestação da propriedade do Lote 94 em Bunambutye, Khanakwa examina como se ligam roubo de gado, conflitos fundiários e construção da paz. Embora os estudos costumem ignorar a relação entre o roubo de gado e o conflito social, as evidências de Bulambuli destacam os esforços das comunidades afetadas perante as falhas da liderança política local em resolver as tensões. O fracasso do governo ugandês em impor recomendações em tempo útil demonstra a urgência da arbitragem e do cancelamento de títulos de terra fraudulentos.

Keywords

land tenureUgandaland grabbingcustomary titlecattle rustlingBunambutye
Type
Forum: Farmer-Pastoralist Interactions and Resource-Based Conflicts in Africa: Drivers, Actors, and Pathways to Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding
Information
African Studies Review , Volume 65 , Issue 2 , June 2022 , pp. 455 - 478
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the African Studies Association

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