KAMPALA, UGANDA; A section of Ugandan youth activists under their umbrella of Uganda Poor Youth Movement (UPYM) have petitioned the Education Minister, Hon. Janet Kataha Museveni to intervene in the land row between Kololo SS and Ruparelia Group (the investor), the latter seeking to construct a multipurpose football stadium on the land in question.
Mr. Rajiv Ruparelia, the director of Kampala parents school in the trending NBS TV video alleges that on several occasions, some elements at Kololo S.S.S abuse poor people from the neighbourhood by giving them peanuts to cause violence at the place where the investor is planning to erect a modern sporting complex which includes a football pitch, volleyball, netball, and other conferencing facilities.
Therefore, in a petition dated December 13, the UPYM Secretary-General, Mr. Ben Ssebuguzi has now requested the First Lady who is the Education Minister to prevail and resolve the ongoing row between the school (Kololo SS) and the investor (Rajiv Ruparelaia), as they claim the conflict retards the development of the area and the country at large.
“Your Excellency, Madam First Lady, through our social media, we were disheartened to learn that one of your prominent and large schools in the country is at the forefront of obstructing our investor to develop his land which he has right ownership into a viable public good or common good,” reads part of the petition.
According to Ssebuguzi, the purpose of this petition to the first lady:
- Is to report to the minister of education that Kololo SSS is abstracting an investor who is going to carry out a transformative project.
- To drum support to government to continue embracing Public Private partnerships as a form of raising income that has no strings attached to generate higher employment for youths.
“As crusaders of responsible investments in our country, we decided to raise our eyebrows and voices and decided to report to you this bad vice that dents a reputation of one of the best schools in the country which has natured many important citizens who include economists who espouse the value of Public-Private Partnership (PPP),” UPYM said further in their petition.
Adding that; “As patriotic youths who believe that the investor is going to do a befitting job of transforming the said land from a bush that houses rodents to a world-class stadium. We, therefore, seek to humbly request your immediate attention before we become a laughing stock!! We have been put to shame because a school is supposed to foster development and not the other way round and mirror society.”
Background of the Matter:
Businessman Rajiv Ruparelia last week during a lunchtime show on NBS TV revealed plans of constructing an all-sport stadium in Kololo, Kampala but was quick to say his plans are being thwarted by selfish actors at Kololo Secondary School who have been paying off ghetto dwellers to fight the developers.
According to Rajiv, who is also the Ruparelia Group Managing Director, the selfish individuals had the opportunity to develop the land more than 40 years ago before government handed him the title, realizing that Kololo SS would do nothing.
“The Kololo SS land belongs to government of Uganda and that land was allocated to Premier Academy an affiliation of Kampala Parents. And that land between Kololo SS and Premier Academy was jointly being used as a sports field,” Rajiv explained the genesis of the fight.
Rajiv wondered why the school had the chance to develop the land from 1956. “Until today they keep telling us that they have the ability to develop it. It is quite shocking that at a time we have come out expressing willingness to develop the land, Kololo SS management also wants to when we have the title”
He also revealed that a section of people around kololo are steering strife, by bribing locals to cause chaos and fail him in his developmental work with intentions of grabbing the land.
“Some people want to grab the land. They want to be land grabbers. Unfortunately, this is not good for our society. It is not Kololo SS land. The land belongs to Ruparelia Group, and is between Premier academy and Kololo SS, and jointly used by the two as a sports field,” he said.
He further uncovered a secret plan by these people, by saying that they distribute money to the poor population to cause chaos and fail his efforts to develop the land, He revealed that he must go on with his plans of developing the area, regardless of anything.
“……..they use the LCs, they give some small money 1K, 2K, I know who they give money to and what they do. They incite violence to try to stop development. It is extremely sad to try to take advantage of poor people like this,” Rajiv stated.
He questioned their delay to develop the land and wondered why they have suddenly developed interests to develop it now yet all along they had been looking on. He revealed that the said land belongs to the Ruparelia group, which acquired its title in 2006.
“They tell us they have the ability to develop it. They had all the time in the world to develop it, but they didn’t. It shocks me that they want to develop it at a time when we also want to develop it.
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