KAMPALA, UGANDA: Parliament’s Adhoc committee investigating the Nakawa-Naguru land row has summoned the Ministers of Lands, Housing and Urban Development and that of Local Government.
Dan Atwijukire Kimosho, the Adhoc committee chairperson ruled that Judith Nabakooba and Raphael Magyezi should be formally summoned after his committee received information that they had not turned up for the meeting because they received the invitation late.
However, Atwijukire said that the invitations had been sent out on Monday. He directed the committee clerk to summon the two ministers saying that they should also come together with the members of the Uganda Land Commission-ULC.
Last week, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Anita Among named a nine-member Adhoc committee to inquire into the Nakawa-Naguru land row.
The committee was also tasked to probe the conflict among ministers in the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development. Among directed the committee to report back to the House in two weeks.
The committee on Thursday sent away the Minister for Kampala and Metropolitan Affairs, Hajjat Minsa Kabanda who had appeared together with the principal legal officer Claire Olaki.
This is after they failed to respond to a section of questions asked by the MPs. Olaki told the committee that the Uganda Land Commission-ULC and Attorney General should be able to provide an update of the land’s current status.
The failure to respond to questions angered the Tororo Woman MP Sarah Opendi, who said that the committee would not proceed without the KCCA technical team.
Atwijukire then directed that KCCA should ascertain whether there are approved plans for construction at Naguru and report back to the committee immediately. He said that if the developers have no approved plans, they should be stopped.
Kabanda pledged to stop any construction once her ministry ascertains that those constructing have no approved plans.
Before the Deputy Speaker named the Adhoc committee, the Minister of State for Lands Sam Mayanja had asked the Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja to intervene in the row over the ownership of the Nakawa-Naguru land after different companies claimed ownership of sections of land, despite President’s approval for re-allocation.
Mayanja’s letter to Nabbanja dated February 23 came after his visit to the disputed land where he also halted any developments due to ongoing disputes. Earlier, Mayanja had petitioned the Uganda Land Commission (ULC) Chairperson regarding allegations of illegal allocation and issuance of multiple titles to different developers.
Reports indicate that Multi Consults Designs Limited, which was given 3.3 acres of the land through a consent agreement with the Attorney General, is accusing ULC of reallocating some plots of the piece of land to other developers who have gone ahead to fence off the area.
Media reports say that plots belonging to Multi Consults Designs Limited have been reallocated to companies identified as WASH, GASH, EACOM, Global, and Fakhruddin.
In 2019, the government repossessed the 80-acre piece of land from Opec Prime developer for failure to establish a Satellite city, and ULC was then tasked to find viable investors to develop the land.
In November last year, Mayanja submitted a list of 18 developers that the ULC had vetted and approved for the allocation of 50 acres. A total of 10 acres would be allocated to the Uganda Heart Institute and 15 acres to the Internal Medicine Virginia PC. 5 acres are occupied by government institutions.
However, President Yoweri Museveni is yet to respond to Mayanja’s letter seeking the reallocation of land.
The land in question has been embroiled in controversy since 2007 after it was given out to Opec Prime Properties Limited to construct a satellite city. In 2018, Cabinet resolved to terminate the contract with Opec Prime Properties after it defaulted on its obligations.
The land was then repossessed by the ULC which was supposed to reallocate it to new developers.
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