By Anne Mugisa

President Yoweri Museveni has held discussions with stakeholders in the Nakawa-Naguru housing estates to resolve the longstanding dispute over the land ownership.

Among the people who attended the Monday meeting at State House Entebbe was the UK-based investor of Opec Prime Properties, the company that was originally allocated the entire land of the dilapidated housing estates to develop it into a modern satellite town.

Also present at the meeting were representatives of the tenants and the six small developers who were later allocated land and who acquired titles to pieces carved out of the 160 acres under irregular circumstances.

According to a statement issued by State House yesterday, the President and the stakeholders resolved to handle the issues surrounding the land ownership harmoniously.

The Minister of State for Local Government, Godfrey Perez Ahabwe, was appointed to take charge and ensure that the matter is solved positively.

According to Ahabwe, the Government and the stakeholders are trying to negotiate the possibility of integrating the small developers into the project, which has stalled for over two years.

Sources at the meeting said developers, whose project is compatible with the grand plan of the satellite town, will be integrated “so that you don’t bring a warehouse or factory in the middle of a housing estate”.

Those whose project is not compatible will be given land elsewhere. The stakeholders and Ahabwe will hold a meeting on February 22 to chart out the way forward.

Opec Prime Properties in 2007 signed a contract with the Government to develop a modern satellite city, with residences, low-cost houses for the 1,747 tenants and a business district.

This was meant to decongest the Kampala central district.

Some tenants petitioned the court and the IGG, saying the contract given to the developer was flawed and that they were not consulted.

The controversy led to an investigation by the Inspector General of Government (IGG) and a court case, which effectively stalled the project. In May 2009, the court ruled in favour of the Government and the developer.

As the dispute over the project was going on, about six other small developers acquired land titles for plots on the same land. The developers included House of Dawda, CTM, William Nkemba, the Islamic University, the National Library and Abner Besigye.

The Attorney General in September wrote to the Government advising that the titles for the small developers be cancelled except for the one belonging to Besigye and the 2.5 acres that had been approved for the Islamic University.

The Attorney General argued that the land had been reserved for Opec Prime Properties which had emerged as the best evaluated bidder after due process of competitive bidding. The Attorney General’s recommendation prompted the small developers to go to court to retain the titles. During the State House meeting on Monday, it was reportedly decided that the small developers withdraw all the cases against the Government.

The meeting also resolved that a committee under Ahabwe will resolve the issues and ensure that the titles are given to the UK developer to start work immediately.

The State House meeting was attended by the Minister for Internal Affairs, Kirunda Kivejinja, state for works John Byabagambi, Police chief Kale Kayihura, the lawyer for Opec Prime Properties, Elly Karuhanga, as well as officials from the Uganda Land Board and the Uganda Investment Authority.