Frank Takaya, a businessman in Masaka town has denied the contractor access through his plot of land located adjacent to the road under construction, arguing that he was not compensated for his property yet he has a title over it.
Janet Nassolo, a resident of Kibisi parish told Uganda Radio Network that many people took this year’s election as a fashion and failed to evaluate the candidates for the various leadership positions.
Jerome Olowo Stowell, the board architect, says the building committee will re-inspect the building after construction for issuance of an occupancy permit, adding that no building will be allowed to be occupied without an occupational permit.
Last month, the Masaka Municipal City Clerk John Bahengana issued a ten-day ultimatum to taxi drivers in the area to stop operating from gazetted stages and parks, which was creating confusion in the town.
“We gave them up to November to return to the main park because we shall not allow any vehicle to load and offload passengers anywhere other than the taxi park" the city clerk said.
Masaka City Physical Planner Martin Kigozi says that the recent elevation of Masaka Municipality to a city has triggered a land purchase rush which poses a threat to the town’s physical plan and architectural designs.
Mbabali had petitioned the High Court to quash the guidelines issued by Local Government Minister Rafael Magyezi on June 30, 2020, to guide the operations of the new cities on grounds that they contravene the procedures set out in the local government act.
The leaders of the two sub-counties have already passed council resolutions supporting the relocation of Masaka district headquarters to Kyanamukaka sub-county headquarters.
This is the third time the contractor is seeking an extension after failing to complete the construction works during the second extension which ended on 30th July.
Godfrey Kayemba, the interim City Mayor says that the government committed to allocate 100 billion shillings to each of the new cities as their start-up capital, which has not been the case hence causing a standstill in executing of plans.
The lost assets include among others; the Mayor’s Gardens, the Children’s Park, Masaka Bus Park, Masaka Public Library and Women’s Resource Center, Kkumbu forest reserve, Transit Parking yard at Kyabakuza, Old Kkumbu estates, Masaka golf course, Bwala public play grounds, Masaka Recreation grounds, the Municipality town yard and several green belt spaces and plots within the central business area.
John Bahengana, the acting head of technical services in the new city says they have agreed to get rid of taxis operating from non-gazetted parks and on-street stages for purposes of restoring order in the city.