Uganda: Man becomes lawyer and wins back family land 23 years after dispute

High Court of Uganda
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Jordan Kinyera, 29, took up his father’s case in the long-running dispute and, on Monday, the High Court in Uganda ruled in his favour.

The case began in 1996 when his father was sued by a neighbour. Land disputes are widespread in Uganda and believed to affect up to 50 per cent of landowners.

Mr Kinyera told BBC Newsday: “I made the decision to become a lawyer later in life but much of it was inspired by events I grew up witnessing, the circumstances and frustrations my family went through during the trial and how it affected us.”

He added: “My dad was retired, so he didn’t have a lot of resources. He wasn’t earning at that time. He was desperate and there is something dehumanising about being in a desperate situation and not being able to do something about it. That is what inspired me the most.”

Mr Kinyera said his father had not been able to farm or build on the land for 23 years because of the land dispute.

He said: “Justice delayed is justice denied. My father is 82 years and he can’t do much with the land now. It’s up to us children to pick up from where he left.”