Edward Kiwanuka, a member of the Taxi Park Management Committee, says they have no intention of stopping the municipality or land owner from selling the land but the proposed development must cater for a taxi park. He notes that Mukono shares the busiest highway in the country whose traffic jam will worsen if they are displaced from their current location.
Mukono municipal taxi park land has been solved
off to a new developer without the knowledge of the municipal authorities. The taxi
park operates on Kyaggwe block 530 plot 1-17 in Total ward along Kamapala-Jinja
highway.
The land belonged to the family of the late Ham
Mukasa and was placed under the administrator-ship of Dorothy Nabeeta. It was
later transferred into the names of Rebecca Kibulire, a granddaughter to Mukasa
who has now sold it to Mukono Tycoon, Charles Tabula Nsubuga at Shillings
3billion.
Despite this, Mukono Municipality
has an active lease of 49 years, which still has 28 years to expire. Jamadah
Kajoba, the Mukono Deputy Mayor, says they were shocked to find out that
Nabeeta, who was their landlord, handed over the title to Kibulire who sold off
the land without their knowledge.
“We leased the land from Nabeeta who was its administrator
and we also sub leased part of the land to traders who have lock up shops on it,
the remaining part was gazetted as a taxi park but in the process of
registering the municipal properties we were shocked to find out that the land
was sold off to a private developer this year,” Kajoba explains.
There are about 40 lock ups around Mukono Taxi Park with each
paying ground rent of Shillings 150, 000 every month to the municipality.
Isaiah Nsubuga, the personal assistant to Nsubuga confirmed that his boss
indeed bought the land and secured the land title.
He says Nsubuga intends to set up a modern
shopping mall on part of the land and parking yard. Rebecca Kibulire, who is
said to have sold off the land, wonders why the municipal authorities are
feigning ignorance about the land transaction yet the land was publically
advertised for a full year.
She also denies receiving any document
confirming the tenancy of the municipality on the land or formal notification
about their lease. However, the Mukono Assistant Town Clerk, Alex
Sseruwagi Nanyonga insists that there is clear evidence confirming their
occupancy.
He says the matter is currently being handled
by their Legal Officer, James Nsubuga to avoid causing loss to the municipality.
Once the new landlord decide to develop the contested land, the municipality
will be liable to compensating traders who sub leased the land for the
remaining years and other losses that they may incur.
Taxi operators are bitter with
the municipality authorities who they accuse of playing them. Asuman Bita, a Taxi driver says there are many
people benefiting from the taxi park, saying the municipality should have paid
keen attention to the matter.
He notes that rumors about the proposed sell of
the land started doing rounds three years back but the municipal authorities
kept denying it.
Luganda Bytes
//Cue in: “
Cue out: …”//
English translation
“If the council failed it would accept to
invite us and land lord to give us a chance of buying ourselves as the park
operators and develop the land but nothing we have gained from them. This means
we shall start operating alongside the road and we shall strongly fight the
enforcement officers chasing us away since they have not designated a new
working for us."
Edward Kiwanuka, a member of the Taxi Park Management Committee,
says they have no intention of stopping the municipality or land owner from
selling the land but the proposed development must cater for a taxi park. He notes that Mukono shares the
busiest highway in the country whose traffic jam will worsen if they are
displaced from their current location.
Luganda Byte
//Cue in: “Sigwe mulundi ogusoose…
Cue out: …n’ abantu abalala”//
English Translation
“It is not the first time they have tried evicting us from
this place but towns must have parks, they must gazette another space to
relocate us, this is the center were we get bread, money for educating our
children and a center for an organized transport.'
The Mayor Mukono Municipality, George Fred Kagimu
has called from the affected people saying the municipality is handling the
matter.
