By: Kisembo Gilbert,
E-Society
The entire Kilembe mines community was caught off guard.
First, rumors about the impending demise of the houses which most of the
community members had called home for so long were spreading from all over.
Then the inevitable happened, as of April 2014, every tenant was served an
eviction notice, some receiving them earlier than others. A copy of the
eviction notice we obtained precisely stated 2 months for the tenants to vacate
the premises and legal action by Kilembe mines Ltd against tenants that do not
settle their arrears before time. However, on interviewing some of the
residents of Kilembe on what they felt about the developments, resentment
towards leaving, betrayal and hopelessness were echoed in most of their
concerns. “Kilembe has been our home for over 20 years”, said one elderly man living
in the Chanjojo estate of Kilembe, “to evict us with notices like unworthy
tenants is very disappointing”, ranted the man. Kilembe mines Ltd was
officially sold by the Government of Uganda to developers who intend to tear
down the old buildings that are the estates and erect more modern housing units
in their stead.
