Residents and descendants of more than five generations of farmworkers at farm Okamuru/Omingondo in the Omatako constituency have raised concerns over worsening living conditions and continued uncertainty surrounding their ancestral land.
Community members, whose history on the land predates the colonial period and the 1904 genocide, say they are facing increasing pressure from the current farm owner, including restricted movement, the confiscation of livestock, and the closure of critical access points.
Community representative George Ampweya last week said tensions intensified after a meeting on 14 June 2024, during which the farm owner presented an agreement outlining new rules and regulations governing residents of the farm.
Ampweya said pensioners and beneficiaries who attended the meeting rejected the proposed conditions, arguing that many families have lived on the land for generations and that several residents were born and raised there.
“The community points to their ancestral graves in the surrounding areas of Okosongomingo and Okamuru as further proof of their longstanding historical connection to the land.
“In recent months, the situation has deteriorated further. The farm owner has locked the main access gate and imposed strict movement restrictions, leaving elderly residents and families struggling to move freely,” Ampweya claimed.
He claimed an elderly pensioner in her eighties was forced to be transported by wheelbarrow for nearly 3km after arriving at a locked gate while trying to return home, describing it as inhuman.
The community is calling on the government to intervene, proposing a possible purchase of the farm for resettlement purposes.
Attempts have been made to engage the Omatako constituency councillor and the regional governor to facilitate dialogue, but the farm owner is reportedly unwilling.
The community alleges that access to water has recently been cut off entirely.
This leaves inhabitants without drinking water for themselves or their livestock.
