The Ugandan tax payer will keep on losing money as long as people fail to make decisions they are supported to, when it is believed they have the qualifications. We are aware that some people bought plots of land at the Old Taxi Park when Hon. Ssebaana Kizito was the Mayor of Kampala. We are also aware that Ssebagala's term ended without these people getting the land so that they undertake developments. It is now the Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago and a completely changed environment as the law at the time of Ssebaana Kizito is not the law now! If the sale of plots by Ssebaana kizito was illegal, why doesn't Government look for a solution?
It surprises and shocks what is fundamentally wrong within the NRM. Does it require to get a doctor of sorts to get it to one's head that these people who bought the plots whose development has since failed because of conflicts among authority could anytime seek the court intervention, and a person who failed to make the decision at the right time will see the tax payer lose billions! Uganda needs better. Those who think that they are at liberty to do whatever wrong, History will judge them accordingly. This matter should be sorted as soon as possible. You cannot pretend to love Uganda when behind you are policies that keep people impoverished.
Kampala Businessman Attempts to Demolish Disputed Old Taxi Park Shops on Christmas Eve
Traders at the Old Taxi Park were shocked when
they received phone calls at about 2 a.m. alerting them
that a group of men had started bulldozing their shops and destroying
their merchandize. By the time a sufficient crowd of traders and police
arrived at the scene, a huge three-foot deep pit had been dug in front
of the shopping block at the corner of Ben Kiwanuka and Luwum Streets.
The plot of land was being excavated by Abdul Kasai, a Kampala businessman, who claims ownership of plots 39, 40, 41 and 43 on the periphery of the Old Taxi Park.
An Asian businessman, Sheik Muhammed of Moi Pharmacies, says he was called from a wedding party and informed about the ransacking of his property. He managed to salvage only a small portion of his supplies.
In the ensuing chaos merchandise was stolen. Not able to differentiate between the genuine traders, bystanders and drivers from the taxi park in the darkness of the night a lot of merchandise was looted and misplaced. Shop owners who could be reached by phone were called in to save their goods, but many of them were out of Kampala for Christmas.
Some of the affected shops are JM Pharmacy, IK Mambule, JR Pharmacy and Dynamic General Merchandise. The debris from the buildings is mixed up with soil from the excavation and goods from the shops. A large block of concrete, which wasn't removed, is hanging dangerously on one side of the shopping block.
Edward Ochom, the Kampala Extra Regional Police Commander, says the workers arrived at the scene at about 1 a.m. with a grader and a tipper truck. He says the police at the Old Taxi Park became suspicious when the grader tore down the balcony of one of the shops and destroyed the building.
Police mobile patrols were called in and the excavation was halted. The grader was impounded, but the tipper truck managed to get away.
Ochom urges those affected by the excavation to remain calm because the police is in control of the situation.
Abdul Kasai hasn't been seen since about 1:30 a.m. Some taxi park operators claim he drove by the site in his Lexus ordering his workers not only to excavate the plot, but to pull down the shops as well.axi Park has been a source of contention between Kampala City Council (KCC)
The Kampala Resident District Commissioner Alice Muwanguzi visited the scene early this morning to assess the damage. She arrived shortly after a group of irate traders burned an Isuzu tipper lorry, registration number UAG 628U, which was believed to be part of the excavation mission. Fearing for his life, the driver of the lorry took refuge at the Old Taxi Park police post. The fire was put out by Fire Brigade.
The Mayor of Kampala, Nasser Ntege Ssebagala, had said that the sale of plots by the former Mayor, Ssebaana Kizito, was illegal. He said the sale had been cancelled and KCC had repossessed the land and promised to settle the conflict. However little was done to resolve the dispute.
In October parliament learned that KCC hastily leased out plots at the Old Taxi Park to raise 750 million shillings to pay a debt owed to a Kampala businessman only identified as Virani. Virani had been allocated some of the plots around the Old Taxi Park, but after disagreements arose over the sale, he sued the city authorities and KCC opted to settle the matter out of court.
The plots of land were reallocated to Dick Kizito, Omar Mandela and Shumuk Limited.
Godfrey Lutwama, a member of the Old Taxi Park Non-Resident Tenants Association, says the tenants have been planning to meet President Yoweri Museveni to explain the reason why they oppose the plans to redevelop the park. He said the tenants have the capacity to do a quality job of modernizing the plots around the taxi park.
The plot of land was being excavated by Abdul Kasai, a Kampala businessman, who claims ownership of plots 39, 40, 41 and 43 on the periphery of the Old Taxi Park.
An Asian businessman, Sheik Muhammed of Moi Pharmacies, says he was called from a wedding party and informed about the ransacking of his property. He managed to salvage only a small portion of his supplies.
In the ensuing chaos merchandise was stolen. Not able to differentiate between the genuine traders, bystanders and drivers from the taxi park in the darkness of the night a lot of merchandise was looted and misplaced. Shop owners who could be reached by phone were called in to save their goods, but many of them were out of Kampala for Christmas.
Some of the affected shops are JM Pharmacy, IK Mambule, JR Pharmacy and Dynamic General Merchandise. The debris from the buildings is mixed up with soil from the excavation and goods from the shops. A large block of concrete, which wasn't removed, is hanging dangerously on one side of the shopping block.
Edward Ochom, the Kampala Extra Regional Police Commander, says the workers arrived at the scene at about 1 a.m. with a grader and a tipper truck. He says the police at the Old Taxi Park became suspicious when the grader tore down the balcony of one of the shops and destroyed the building.
Police mobile patrols were called in and the excavation was halted. The grader was impounded, but the tipper truck managed to get away.
Ochom urges those affected by the excavation to remain calm because the police is in control of the situation.
Abdul Kasai hasn't been seen since about 1:30 a.m. Some taxi park operators claim he drove by the site in his Lexus ordering his workers not only to excavate the plot, but to pull down the shops as well.axi Park has been a source of contention between Kampala City Council (KCC)
The Kampala Resident District Commissioner Alice Muwanguzi visited the scene early this morning to assess the damage. She arrived shortly after a group of irate traders burned an Isuzu tipper lorry, registration number UAG 628U, which was believed to be part of the excavation mission. Fearing for his life, the driver of the lorry took refuge at the Old Taxi Park police post. The fire was put out by Fire Brigade.
The Mayor of Kampala, Nasser Ntege Ssebagala, had said that the sale of plots by the former Mayor, Ssebaana Kizito, was illegal. He said the sale had been cancelled and KCC had repossessed the land and promised to settle the conflict. However little was done to resolve the dispute.
In October parliament learned that KCC hastily leased out plots at the Old Taxi Park to raise 750 million shillings to pay a debt owed to a Kampala businessman only identified as Virani. Virani had been allocated some of the plots around the Old Taxi Park, but after disagreements arose over the sale, he sued the city authorities and KCC opted to settle the matter out of court.
The plots of land were reallocated to Dick Kizito, Omar Mandela and Shumuk Limited.
Godfrey Lutwama, a member of the Old Taxi Park Non-Resident Tenants Association, says the tenants have been planning to meet President Yoweri Museveni to explain the reason why they oppose the plans to redevelop the park. He said the tenants have the capacity to do a quality job of modernizing the plots around the taxi park.
No comments:
Post a Comment