UGANDA, Kampala | Real Muloodi News | Eng. David Luyimbazi, Deputy Executive Director of the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), has denied allegations by Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago that the government had set aside more than $100 million (approximately USh373 billion) to acquire 10 acres of land in Kisenyi to relocate street sellers.
Approximately 6,000 vendors, who were recently expelled from the city’s streets by KCCA, are presently functioning on this free property owned by businessman Bosco Muwonge.
“I have not seen any paper directing KCCA to pay Muwonge $100m. I saw that (the figure of $100m) in the press, but the President’s directive said we should engage Muwonge to see how the Government can secure that land. It did not talk about any amount of money,” he said.
If they want to acquire that land, they must go through a process, according to Luyimbazi.
“The chief government valuer must assess that land and determine its value based on the market pricing around that area. So, it is a professional process. We can’t just buy land without looking at the market pricing around that area, which will determine the amount we shall pay in case we are to buy,” he said.
“We are trying to find a workplace for street vendors after removing them from the streets. If the Lord Mayor or anyone else has land that is cheap, please, bring it. Do not sit there and complain as the Government is trying to organise the city because no one has stopped anyone from bringing to us cheaper or free land,” Luyimbazi said.
If they want to acquire that land, they must go through a process, according to Luyimbazi.
“Muwonge was kind enough during the festive season to give two months for people to trade there for free. We have about 6,000 vendors who are off the street trading on Muwonge’s land,” he said.
Background
In an interview with a local TV station on January 9, 2023, Lukwago stated that “cartels” had overpaid Muwonge for land, paying USh370 billion, which he said was the same as the whole KCCA budget.
“This is ridiculous and people do not want to debate this. They want to sweep it under the carpet,” he said.
The land in question, according to Lukwago, was purchased by the government to relocate street sellers who had been evicted from the city streets.
“They are deceiving that each acre is going to cost $10m (sh37b) when they are the very people who sold off St Balikuddembe Market [aka Owino] at only sh4b. To date, nobody is discussing it,” he said.
Lukwago further claimed that the area in question was beset by several ownership disputes.
What Others had to Say
During the Press Wall show, the former Kawempe North legislator Hajji Latif Sebaggala stated that it is past time for KCCA to divulge the amount of money they want to spend on purchasing that land.
“What is out there in the public is that the Government is in high gear to buy Muwonge’s land at over $100m which is quite high. Kisenyi is not Kololo where you can buy an acre of the land at this amount,” he said.
“Yes, we want to thank the Good Samaritan (Muwonge) who gave us these two months… He (Luyimbazi) is asking us to bring (cheap) land if we have it, but he is well aware that getting 10 acres of lumpsum is hard right now. So, I want them to be clear because we are saying we can buy Muwonge’s land which we have already identified but at how much?” Sebaggala, who is also a businessman, said.
The Nakawa East MP Ronald Balimwezo further claimed that the stated purchase price for Muwonge’s land was high.
“KCCA is managing Kampala on behalf of the central government and had Nakawa-Naguru land measuring 82.05 acres but it has sold it off at less than sh5b and now it is going to purchase 10 acres in Kisenyi at over $100m. That is too much,” he said.
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