UNRA gets more sh10b for Mukono-Katosi road

May 19, 2015

The Ministry of Finance has dispatched an additional sh10b to Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) to compensate more property owners affected by the ongoing construction works on Mukono-Katosi road.

By Pascal Kwesiga                             

The Ministry of Finance has dispatched an additional sh10b to Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) to compensate more property owners affected by the ongoing construction works on Mukono-Katosi road.


The construction works on the 74km road were suspended last year after it was discovered that UNRA paid sh24.7b to a fake construction firm out of sh165b, contractual price, without doing due diligence on the purported road construction company.

The construction resumed in March after Reynolds Construction Company (RCC) was hired to complete the road.

The UNRA spokesperson, Dan Alinange, said the authority resumed compensating the affected property owners last week after obtaining sh10b from finance to proceed with the compensation process.

He explained that sh15b has already been expended on compensating some of the affected property owners.

The money, according to Alinange, is part of sh40b UNRA has received from finance to compensate property owners affected by the construction works on major roads in the country including Kampala-Entebbe expressway.

However, three landlords affected by the Mukono-Katosi road construction, are accusing the construction firm of trespass.

Fredrick Ssuna Lwanga, Betty Kayemba Nsubuga and Obed Nsubuga are also accusing the firm of crashing a rock in their land without compensation.

In a May 14 notice of intention to sue to UNRA, the trio who claim to be the registered owners of plot 224 and 5 on block 253, claim that RCC has so far taken 500 trucks (with capacity to carry 50 tons) of crashed stones from their land for tarmacking the road without recompense.

"The actions of your (UNRA) employees and RCC staff have caused us financial loss to the tune of sh1.5b. Your actions are illegal, unconstitutional and breach of law regarding compulsory acquisition and conversion," the notice read in part.

The previous contractor, Lwanga said, had agreed to buy the rock from them before the contract was terminated. "You cannot trespass and steal property on land where there is a title without compensating the land owners," he added.

The RCC security manager for the project, James Bitooke Tutungire, said the road designs supplied by their client (UNRA) show that the part of the land in question is in the new road. He explained that the other part of the road is in the road reserve.

"We crashed the rock because that is where the road will pass. I have seen the complainants and I have advised them to see our client (UNRA) who gave us the road designs," he added.

Alinange said 2,000 property owners affected by the road have been compensated so far, and that about 4,000 others are yet to be compensated.

"Many of these will have received their compensation in two weeks' time," he added.

Alinange, who said he had not seen the notice of intention to sue UNRA, said queries raised by the affected persons would be addressed. But, Lwanga said their land was not valued.
 

Related

New Katosi road contractor wants sh254b

Katosi road: Four UNRA bosses suspended

Katosi road: contractor to be known by December 15

 

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