President's Office Named in Nabbingo Land Fraud
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6 SATURDAY VISION, September 7, 2013 NEWS KAMPALA President’s office named Street shoppers face jail Buying goods from street vendors has officially been declared a crime and whoever is caught will be prosecuted. This new approach by Kampala Briefs Capital City Authority (KCCA) is aimed at fighting in Nabbingo land fraud illegal trade in the city and is under the trade order regulations, which allow KCCA to arrest people who are aiding illegal business. KCCA executive director Jennifer Musisi said they were following the KCCA Act, as well as the Maintenance of Law and Order Ordinance 2006, under the Local Government Act. “Anybody found engaged in the illegal activity will be cautioned, fined or sent to prison. Our enforcement team has started looking for culprits,” Musisi said. She said only those authorised by KCCA should BY CHRIS KIWAWULO transact business in the city, but it must be con- ducted in designated areas. dispute is brewing between two families Aover a piece of land in Nabbingo, Nsangi sub-county, WAKISO Wakiso, after officials from the President’s office granted it to one of the families. The officials granted the Highway works begin piece of land, measur- The Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) has National News National ing about half an acre in started demolishing buildings, kiosks and other Kakungube Zone near Trinity structures constructed in the road reserve in an College, Nabbingo, to the fam- effort to pave way for the expansion of Entebbe ily of the late Simon Tabaro highway. Basiima. This has, however, The exercise that started last week, has featured been contested by the family In their ruling, the taskforce officials argued that the land had been left untiliised for so long demolitions in Namulanda, Mpala, Bwebajja, Ki- of Ignatius Tabaro Sinaru- tende, Kajjansi, Lweza, Sseguku, Zzana, Namasuba, hamagagye. and Najjanankumbi. According to UNRA’s public In a letter dated August 22, residents’ views or convene a meeting in which the decision going to meet all the par- relations officer, Dan Alinange, the exercise will officials from the presidential meeting to resolve the matter. was reached did not take place. ties and establish the real involve parts of Kampala-Hoima road, Mityana, land taskforce signed the doc- How can you call people to the They also claim they were not owner of the land. We don’t Gulu and Gayaza. He said UNRA had warned the ument granting ownership of President’s office to resolve a given a hearing. want to make mistakes which owners of the structures to remove their property, the land to Basiima’s children. land matter without visiting the Iragena said the taskforce we shall regret.” but some of them turned a deaf ear. The officials include, Hajji scene?” he asked. officials did not ask his family to Kanyike noted that some Edirisa Sseddunga, a senior present its documents proving people wanted to sell the same presidential aide, taskforce MORE CONTROVERSY ownership of the land. land last year, but they failed KAMPALA vice-chairman Kabandwa Kig- Saturday Vision has seen a letter “Even what was put in that after they were tasked to prove gundu and Gamal Abdul. dated May 25, reportedly from letter granting the land to those ownership. “…according to the docu- the local council chairman of people (Basiima’s children) When contacted, Sseddunga, ments presented to this office, Nyakasanga lower central divi- does not reflect our views,” he through his personal assistant, Mak staff pay deal on it is clear that the kibanja sion in Nyamwamba, Kasese, in contended. Isma Kabembula, said Sinaru- Makerere University has refuted reports that it belongs to the family of the which Basiima’s children claim Saturday Vision has established hamagagye’s children were is bent on frustrating the implementation of the late Basiima because they are they were living with their father that following the decision to called several times to present recent allowance raise deal it struck with striking the only ones who presented who bought the contested land, grant the land to Basiima’s their documents, in vain. staff. Media reports alleged that some senior of- their documents and the other before he died. children, the aggrieved fam- Kabembula said he visited the ficials tasked with ensuring that the deal came to family (Sinaruhamagagye’s) The Nyakasanga chairman ily transported their father disputed land. He confirmed fruition, were opposed to it. Subsequently, it was did not present anything. (Kyeyune) wrote to the Kakun- (Sinaruhamagagye) from Kisoro that the Basiimas did not pro- reported that Dr Muhammed Kiggundu Musoke, There is no way they can gube local council, informing to Nabbingo to prove ownership vide land sale agreements, but the leader of Makerere’s academic staff body, claim the kibanja,” the letter it that the late Basiima’s family of the land. presented documents showing MUASA, accused Joshua Karamagi, the bursar read in part. had agreed to send Kisembo Sinaruhamagagye has since ownership. and David Kahundha, the Secretary of plotting to and Basiima to develop their opened up a case of criminal “We took the decision to grant frustrate prompt implementation of the deal on WHO ACTUALLY OWNS THE LAND? (family) land. trespass against Kisembo and the ownership to the Basiimas grounds that the university lacked money. Basiima’s children, Julius The chairman’s letter, which Basiima at Nabbingo Police because Sinaruhamagagye’s But senior Makerere publicist Ritah Namisango Kisembo and John Basiima bears Kisembo and John Station, referenced as SD REF children did not bring their yesterday said: “Makerere University Council is from Kasese, claim that their Basiima’s passport photographs, 14/28/08/2013. documents. But if they present still committed to the payment of the incentive father owned the land before added: “I therefore recommend their documents, we can revisit to all members of staff. The Chairperson of the he died. However, Sinaru- them for any kind of assistance DOCUMENTS MISSING the matter and reverse the deci- Council, Eng. Dr. Charles Wana Etyem, wrote a hamagagye’s children also in the course of developing their The Kakungube village chair- sion,” he explained. letter dated August 29, to chairpersons of staff argue that their aging father, land (kibanja).” man, Solomon Kanyike, said the associations communicating that the payment who lives in Kisoro, owns the In the letter granting Basiima’s complainants (Basiimas) went POLICE, TASKFORCE DEFENCE will be effective September 30, and the arrears for land. children the contested land, to him with a letter from Kasese, When contacted, the officer in July/August will be paid after six weeks.” Quoting Basiima’s children, the presidential land taskforce seeking to develop the land on charge of Kakungube Police officials from the President’s officials claimed that Sinaru- grounds that their father had post, Samuel Ssalongo, said he office said thekibanja hamagagye’s family was repre- died. had never received a complaint belonged to their father who sented by Phiona Agaba and Kanyike said he became suspi- about the matter. KAMPALA was a soldier. They claim that John Iragena. cious when the caretaker he “I only received copies of one Andrew Kaggwa was the “They said this house belongs knew (Iragena), informed him letters of correspondence about first to claim their land. This to their father. That the house that the land owner (Sinaru- the matter from the President’s prompted them to report the in the kibanja was built by their hamagagye) was still alive. office as the officer-in-charge Prisons NGO launched matter to the President’s office father, Ignatius Tabaro (Sinaru- “I also asked the Basiimas for of the area,” he noted, adding The fate of five Ugandans, including two Police of- for intervention. hamagagye) who lives in Kisoro, minutes of the family meeting in that the taskforce officials also ficers, who were abducted by armed DRC security Kaggwa reportedly withdrew but he is very old and cannot which it was resolved that they copied to him their findings. agents in June, is hanging in the balance, as there in the process and Sinaru- afford coming to Kampala,” the develop the land and a copy of In their ruling, the taskforce seem to be no diplomatic efforts to secure their hamagagye’s family started letter noted. the sale agreement. They told officials argued that thekibanja release. claiming it. The letter quoted Sinaru- me they did not have a copy of had been un utilised for so Both the internal and foreign affairs ministries But Kaggwa, a neighbour hamagagye’s children alleging the sale agreement. But before long because when the owner cannot confirm if there were any diplomatic to the disputed land, denied that their father went to Kisoro they could bring the other docu- (Basiima) died, his children were efforts made to secure the release of the five having any involvement or after building the house on the ments, they had hired some peo- still young. Ugandans abducted by the DRC armed security interest in the land, as well as kibanja up to the wall plate. ple to clear the land. With the When the children grew up, personnel after Uganda foiled their government’s knowing the Basiimas. That on learning that some help of the Police, we stopped the officials added, they went attempt to kidnap a Congolese rebel chief from Another neighbour, who de- people wanted to grab the land, them,” Kanyike explained. to their local council authorities Kampala. clined to be named, wondered they fenced it off without inter- He added that Sinaru- in Kasese and acquired a This comes after sources said the abducted how the presidential land ference from any person. hamagagye called him on Au- letter introducing them to the Ugandans, who have been in dentition in Police taskforce officials reached a gust 28, seeking an appointment Kakungube local council.