Mukonje-Bafaw land saga: Bafaw youth stage protest, storm disputed land.

Some youth of Bafaw origin, on Monday August 21, staged a protest and stormed the disputed land, accusing the Mukonje people of double standards and non-respect of an injunction placed on the land by the Minister of Territorial Administration, in 2020.

The protest, organisers said, was to raise awareness on those carrying out developments on the land, despite the injunction. 

The protesting youth, after storming the disputed land, called for a total halt of different construction works ongoing on the site. They blamed their counterparts of Mukonje for lack of respect of the ministerial decision and the alleged scheming by Mukonje to secure the land title of the disputed area.

Learning of the situation, the Divisional Officer, DO of Kumba III Subdivision, Ngale Alfred Meede, convened a crisis meeting in his office with the different parties, to ease tension, while appealing for calm. The DO also promised during the crisis meeting, to make sure the concerned respect MINAT’s injunction on the disputed land till further notice. 

Ngale Alfred also called on the representatives of the different parties to go back and tell their populations to remain calm and avoid unnecessary confrontations.

Flash back

It should be recalled that some time in 2014, when the Head of State signed a decree creating the Higher Teachers’ Technical Training College, HTTTC, Kumba, the news was received with great joy across Meme with excitement. 

The population immediately went to work to see possible venues where the university could be hosted. A site to host the administrative bloc was chosen at Three Corners, Fiango, Kumba. This created tension between the two villages of Kumba and Mukonje, as to which of the two villages has legitimate ownership of the land.

The site immediately witnessed a boost in terms of construction with new buildings sprouting up.

The Minister of Territorial Administration and partner ministries later carved out a portion away from the developed area for construction of the institution. Since then, both villages have been playing cat and mouse game with Kumba accusing Mukonje of scheming to have a land tittle, while Mukonje is accusing the Bafaw of grabbing their land.

This led to a ministerial injunction on the disputed area some time ago in 2020.

Because of the dispute, HTTTC Kumba has not been able to move to its own permanent structure nine years after creation.