By Spy Uganda
Government property worth more than Shs3 billion is alleged to have been destroyed at Njeru Government Stock Farm, exposing the extent to which a long-running land dispute has weakened the State’s control over one of its livestock facilities.
The allegations emerged Tuesday as the Parliamentary Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) scrutinised the Auditor General’s findings on NAGRC & DB, exposing what MPs described as a potentially serious failure to protect public land and assets.
The National Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Data Bank (NAGRC & DB), which manages the facility, is currently in control of only 10 acres out of the 367 acres leased to it, according to the Auditor General’s 2024/25 report.
The situation has left hundreds of acres of government land vulnerable to encroachment, while infrastructure meant to support livestock production has reportedly been demolished or damaged.
NAGRC & DB’s Estates Manager said he visited the Njeru facility in August and found several structures belonging to the agency destroyed.
He estimated the damage at more than Shs3 billion, although he acknowledged that the actual figure would require a formal assessment.
The alleged destruction adds to an already serious land crisis at the farm, where encroachers have reportedly taken over large sections of the property.
The Auditor General found that parts of former cattle paddocks had been ploughed for crop cultivation, while other sections had been graded for proposed industrial development.
The encroachment has directly affected the farm’s ability to carry out its core functions.
With much of the grazing land no longer under effective institutional control, the farm has faced inadequate grazing space and animal feed. The audit also raised concerns about livestock disease and biosecurity.
A particularly significant development was the demolition of a dip tank, which weakened the farm’s ability to control ticks and protect livestock from related diseases.
The unrestricted movement of people onto the property has further complicated efforts to separate sick animals from healthy ones, increasing the risk of disease transmission.
The crisis has continued despite NAGRC & DB securing a High Court order cancelling land titles that were allegedly created illegally over portions of the farm.
The Auditor General noted that the court order had not been enforced at the time of the audit, highlighting a major problem: the government may have secured a legal victory over the disputed land but has not yet translated that victory into physical control.
NAGRC & DB Executive Director Peter Beine said the agency had obtained the judgment and that the Ministry of Agriculture had written to the Ministry of Lands seeking assistance in implementing it and evicting encroachers, with police support.
The alleged destruction of government property has now raised further questions about how the State has been protecting the facility.
The Estates Manager alleged that some individuals involved in the destruction were accompanied or protected by UPDF officers deployed in the area. He also said some people claimed they had been sent to enforce a land claim attributed to Gen. Kahinda Otafiire, the Minister of Water and Environment.
The allegations have not been independently established, and no finding of wrongdoing has been made against Otafiire, the UPDF or the individuals mentioned. NAGRC & DB also acknowledged that it had not established the identities of those responsible for the alleged destruction.
The wider audit shows that Njeru is part of a broader challenge facing NAGRC & DB. Five of the agency’s 16 land holdings, covering approximately 43,495.4 hectares, were found to be affected by encroachment.
The Auditor General also noted that approximately 115,665 acres of NAGRC & DB land remained untitled, exposing public property to further disputes and encroachment.
At Njeru, however, the consequences are already evident.
A government livestock facility covering 367 acres has been reduced to effective control of just 10 acres, while infrastructure worth millions of shillings is alleged to have been destroyed.
The immediate challenge is therefore bigger than determining who owns the land. It is establishing how government lost effective control of its own property, why a court order has not been fully enforced, and who should account for the alleged destruction.
A physical assessment of the facility is expected to establish the extent of the damage and determine the actual value of the property reportedly lost.
