Title: Mediation on land conflicts

Main Title: "Martina Menya shook hands with her son again"

Description: Community paralegals bringing hope to indigent persons

My name is Martina Menya. A 70-year-old widow living in Acamanono, Anamwany parish, Awelo subcounty, Amolatar district in northern Uganda. I live with my daughter-in-law and 05 grandchildren that my late son left us with.

My family and I are peasant farmers and we depend on farming as our major source of livelihoods. We have been cultivating the customary land that my late husband left us. However, my stepson Okello Patrick decided to hire out my 5-acre land to a person called Abaca. Mr. Okello told me that he had decided to hire out the land in order to raise money to cater for loans that he borrowed for reasons that are not known to me. I did not know that my step son had the intention to grab my land. After realising his intention, I begged him to stop hiring my land out because I wanted to start ploughing as the rainy season sets in. My son denied my request and Mr. Abaca continued to cultivate the land. This made me depressed because even the local council one (LC1) that I am supposed to run to was also part of the witnesses in the hiring of this land. Lucky enough, my daughter in-law tipped me about a man called Okello Peter who helped so many people from Anamwany with their issues. I approached him and explained my issues, he consoled me and pledged to organize a meeting for both parties including the Local council members. This made me regain some hope of recovering my land.

Mr. Okello Peter later organized a meeting involving the two parties, local council leadership and also some new faces were in attendance. I later learnt that they are community peace promoters (CPP); a structure instituted by FAPAD. The team surveyed the land under contention and mediated the case amicably. My son and I reconciled and we shook hands for the first time after a long spell. I am happy that I was able to regain my land and thanks to FAPAD for enhancing the capacity of community paralegals because they live with us, are easily accessible and provide free services to us.