A group of Kampala City Council Authority- KCCA councilors have been implicated for attempting to grab a plot of land belonging to Kampala Disabled Traders Association. The land in question is found on plot 11 along Luwuum Street. It was granted to the disabled traders in 1989 by Christopher Iga, the then Mayor Kampala City Council. Bumali Mpindi, one the KCCA PWD councilors accuses his colleagues of forming a parallel association with intentions of grabbing the land.
He says the councilors under Kampala District Union of Persons with Disability Limited have teamed up with city businessman Omar Mandela to evict disabled traders from their land. The implicated councilors are Afuwa Nalubega, Ali Ssalongo Kalule, Sam Gombya and Juuko Nalule. Mpindi says that on Thursday last week, Joseph Ssemambo, the KCCA acting director of physical planning issued an eviction notice to the disabled traders to pave way for Mandela to redevelop the land. On Tuesday, Bumali told the KCCA council the land still belongs to Kampala Disabled Traders Association.
He says the councilors who have teamed up with Mandela to evict the traders are neither members of Kampala District Disabled Traders Association nor own businesses on the disputed land. He asked KCCA to rescind the eviction letter issued to Mandela and set up an independent inquiry to establish the ownership of the disputed plot of land. Councilors Madina Nsereko, Apollo Mugume and Aidah Nakuya supported the motion brought by Bumali to set up an inquiry into the matter.
A section of other councilors including Alfred Ntambazi, Zahara Luyirika and Angela Kigonya, who seat on the physical planning committee, proposed the matter be referred to Jennifer Musisi, the KCCA Executive director.
In his ruling Erias Lukwago, the KCCA Lord Mayor rescind the eviction letter issued to Mandela and set up a five man committee led by his deputy Sulaiman Kidandala to investigate the land dispute. The committee is expected to report back to council within a month.
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A source that spoke to URN outside the council on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, accused members on the physical planning committee of pushing for the disposal of the land after pocketing a bribe of shillings 90 million. URN couldn’t independently verify the allegations, as the source could not produce any documentary evidence to back the claims. Angela Kigonya, one of the councilors accused of pocketing a bribe dismissed the allegations as baseless saying no businessman would advance such a huge amount of money to councilors to engineer the eviction of traders.
In 2007, President Yoweri Museveni through the then principle private secretary Amelia Kyambadde directed the ministry of local government to issue a land tile to Kampala Disabled Traders Association. Hamzata Nvule, the chairperson Kampala Disabled Traders Association hopes that the intervention of the council will put the land dispute to rest. He says that they have not had peace since they started occupying the land 26 years ago.
