Dispute Over Kajo-Keji Hospital Land Settled in Favour of MSF

(KAJO-KEJI COUNTY) – Local authorities in Kajo-Keji County have resolved a dispute over land belonging to Kajo-Keji Civil Hospital after tensions emerged between the hospital management and private landlords.

The disagreement arose when the hospital management reported that parts of the hospital land were being encroached upon by individuals who had acquired plots from a landlord in Kinyiba. According to the management, the encroachment reduced the hospital space by about thirty metres and consequently threatened future development plans.

The situation created delays in a project by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Belgium, which had been preparing to construct a permanent fence around the hospital. The fence, hospital officials said, was meant to secure the grounds and ensure the safety of patients and staff.

Responding to the matter, the Commissioner of Kajo-Keji County, Hon. Wani Jackson Mule, who also chairs the County Land Authority, convened a meeting with the hospital leadership. He praised the management for raising the concern, describing the land as public property that had been legally allotted to the hospital years ago.

Mule warned that any individual found tampering with public land would be held accountable under the Land Act of 2009. He further advised landlords in Kinyiba and Lubule to refrain from selling land that had been designated for public use.

The Commissioner directed the County Executive Director and the Department of Survey to demarcate the hospital’s boundaries and issue legal documents, including land titles, to protect the property.

The meeting concluded with a decision that the hospital’s land should remain intact and that additional land should be sought to enable the facility to expand to modern standards.

Officials were also instructed to summon individuals who had illegally erected structures within the hospital grounds. If negotiations fail, the Commissioner said, the buildings would be demolished in line with the Land Act.

The reaffirmation of the hospital’s land ownership has cleared the way for MSF Belgium to proceed with the fencing project.