URC Launches Mass Evictions Along Kampala-Kasese Railway Line

The Uganda Railways Corporation (URC) has officially commenced a major enforcement operation to evict individuals illegally occupying public railway land across the country, launching first along the critical Kampala-Kasese corridor.

Speaking on the exercise, URC spokesperson John Ssegendo confirmed that field operations began in Kyengera Town Council in Wakiso District. The reclamation drive will advance through Mityana, Mubende, and Kamwenge before terminating in Kasese.

Ssegendo explained that the initial phase along the Kampala-Kasese line is expected to take two to three days, depending on the density of illegal structures erected within the railway reserve and the time occupants take to vacate.

Phased Nationwide Expansion & Reasonable Notice

Following the completion of the Kampala-Kasese phase, enforcement teams will extend operations to cover several other key railway corridors across the country:

 Northern & Eastern Corridors: Gulu, Busoga, and the Gulu-Pakwach lines.

 Western & Mid-Western Sectors: Toro lines, alongside encroachments in Butiaba and Masindi.

URC clarified that while affected encroachers will be granted a reasonable window to voluntarily dismantle their structures and salvage personal property, enforcement teams will proceed with demolitions once that window lapses.

“When you get into a place and someone has removed their property from their home, you are not going to just raze it,” Ssegendo noted. “You give them time to remove their property and then you do what you are supposed to do.”

Firm Stance: Zero Compensation for Illegal Occupants

Underlining government policy regarding public infrastructure reserves, URC firmly ruled out any monetary compensation for affected residents and business owners along the reserve lines.

Ssegendo emphasized that the affected land constitutes public property strictly reserved for national railway infrastructure and operational expansion.

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“There is no compensation along those sections because this is public land,” Ssegendo stated, adding that URC holds no legal instruction or requirement to compensate encroachers.

He argued that compensating individuals who unlawfully occupied public land would be inherently unfair to law-abiding citizens and would create a dangerous precedent that encourages further encroachment on government property.

While URC has not set a fixed completion date for the nationwide reclamation drive, field eviction teams will continue advancing along each corridor until all illegal structures are cleared.