Mbale municipal council is embroiled in a dispute with Northern Division over a prime piece of land along Mbale-Kumi road. Northern Division accuses the Mbale municipal council of illegally disposing of plot 41 Kumi road to Joseph Wanyisi, the senior law enforcement officer without its consent. The matter came to light last week after Wanyisi started felling trees forcing Northern division to inquire who was trying to reclaim the land yet they had not authorized it. They discovered that Wanyisi had paid Mbale Municipal council 26 million shillings for the land prompting the Division to seek an explanation from the Municipality.
Northern division council tasked its town Dominic Wanzira to write to Mbale municipal council seeking explanation on how the land was disposed off, without its consent. Sezzi Mafabi, the Northern Division LC III Chairman notes that the territorial jurisdiction indicates shows that plot 41 belongs to the division. He says the division will seek interpretation of the law from the Solicitor General to ascertain if truly the land belongs to the division or Mbale municipality.
//Cue in: “You read the constitution…
Cue out: …the Solicitor General.”//
Harriet Nabuba, the Nabuyonga ward councilor says they will do everything within their reach to block the sale of the land. She says as a Division they are going to challenge the transaction in court. She also asks the division authorities take tough action to stop what she termed as illegal land allocations within the division by Mbale municipal council.
She cited the sale of Uhuru Park and Namakwekwe market among others which she says were fraudulently disposed of by the Municipality. Wanyisi insists that he followed dues process while acquiring the land. He says it will be unfair if he is denied a chance to own the disputed property adding that, other civil servants have benefited from such program since 1994.
//Cue in: “So when the executive…
Cue out: …was managed successfully.”//
James Kutosi, the Mbale Municipal Council Public Relations Officer explains that the land that the disputed property belongs to Mbale Municipal court. He says the sale of the land to the sitting tenant was within the confines of the law. He challenges the Division to show proof of ownership of the land in question.
//Cue in: “Mbale Municipal Council…
Cue out: …outside the law.”//
In 1994, government offered its pool houses to sitting tenants most of whom are now pensioners. This was in line with the government policy to divest itself from housing civil servants through the then Ministry of Lands, Housing and Physical Planning. The beneficiaries paid a certain amount of money for the houses by installment through Housing Finance Company Limited which government contracted to sale the house through a mortgage loan.
Denis Olaka
Guest