UGANDA, Kisenyi | Real Muloodi News | The Kisenyi land deal has been put on hold by the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Mr Matia Kasaija until ownership wrangles are resolved.
The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) wants to purchase a 10-acre piece of land from a local businessman, Mr John Bosco Muwonge and Boost Investments Limited, for the construction of a market where street vendors would be relocated.
However, the land is under ownership contest as the administrators of the estate of Erenesiti Keresipo Kizito are claiming ownership of the same land.
In a letter to the Executive Director of KCCA, Ms Dorothy Kisaka, Minister Kasaija said negotiations to pay for the land would not make progress unless the land wrangles have been resolved.
He had summoned Ms Kisaka, Mr Muwonge, M/S Obed Mwebesa and Associated Advocates, the Head of the Private Sector Development Unit in the Finance Ministry, and the head of the legal unit in the same ministry for a meeting to resolve the matter on February 1.
However, the meeting was held on February 5, and the minister didn’t get clear answers as two parties claimed ownership.
On January 5, 2023, M/S Obed Mwebesa and Associated Advocates, the representative of Ms Eseza Nola Nakibuuka, an administrator of Late Kizito’s estate, wrote to the Permanent Secretary of Finance asking to halt the payments for the said land to Ms Boost Investments Limited, saying the ownership of land is still before the court.
“In the premises, this is to request you to immediately put on halt the said payment of the above money to Ms Boost Investments Limited as the court still has an obligation to adjudicate over the issue of the ownership of the said land. This will save the government from losing money in case court finds in our client’s favour,” a letter by M/S Obed Mwebesa & Associated Advocates read in part.
The Kampala Lord Mayor, Mr Erias Lukwago, protests the purchase of the 10-acre piece of land at USh370b, saying the payment is inflated.
The spokesperson of KCCA, Mr Simon Kasyate, said he wasn’t aware of the meeting and wouldn’t comment on “whether the pending issues have been resolved” or not.
The Kisenyi land deal has been a subject of controversy since its inception, with the KCCA accused of inflating the payment to the landowners.
The ownership wrangles have only served to delay the project further.
The Kisenyi market project is a crucial one for the KCCA, as it seeks to decongest the city and provide better facilities for street vendors.
The delay in the project could have far-reaching effects on the livelihoods of these vendors.
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