Bundibugyo Residents Petition Speaker Over Compensation

Residents of Bundibugyo have petitioned Rebecca Kadaga, the speaker of parliament over compensation for the property they lost as a result of the ongoing construction of the Fort Portal- Bundibugyo- Lamia road.  They claim that despite the fact that, over 85% of the work on the road already done, Uganda National Roads Authority is yet to compensate them.

The residents told the deputy clerk of parliament Paul Wabwire who received the petition on behalf of Kadaga that UNRA has been tossing them back and forth saying the deadline for compensation is November 15. Harriet Ntabazi, the Bundibugyo woman MP who led the petitioners says it is not clear who will resolve her constituents’ issues because UNRA sends them to ministry of finance which refers them back to UNRA.

She says they have brought the matter to parliament so that the speaker can rule on who should respond to the matter.

//cue in: “Pushing them to…

Cue out: …people of Bundibugyo.”//

About one billion shillings has already been disbursed for compensation but there stands a huge balance of 6.3bn shillings. Wabwire assured the petitioners that their matter will be handled with the urgency when parliament resumes from recess on November 5.

The 104km road has been under construction since 2010 and the residents say that only 130 people out of 1321 have been compensated. According to the petitioners, cocoa gardens, residential homes, commercial buildings among others were destroyed leaving people homeless and penniless.