A glimpse inside Nakawa-Naguru estates redevelopment

PIC: Tenants from the Nakawa-Naguru estates were evicted in July 2011

Construction work for the Nakawa-Naguru housing estates into two satellite towns is gathering pace.

The project which was slated to kick off in May 2013 suffered numerous setbacks but activity has been going on behind the iron sheet fence surrounding the land.

The fence gave way following Sunday's heavy downpour to give the public a glimpse of the project.

The developer, Opecprime Properties, a member of the UK Comer Group, was tasked by government to start by constructing 1,747 flats to resettle the former tenants of the two estates within the first four years of the project. The entire project is to be implemented in 10 years.

Two years ago, Isa Gumonye, an assistant commissioner in charge of urban administration, said the contractor was set to start construction but was finalising design details of the project.

According to Gumonye, the contractor and government were working on project design details and were harmonising issues with utility providers such as National Water and Sewerage Cooperation, UMEME and Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA) before embarking on the real construction work.

"You just don't start construction works on such a huge project without harmonising with other actors like National Environment Management Authority," Gumonye added.

He said housing estate had been incorporated in the KCCA vision 2040.

Former local government minister, Adolf Mwesige, launched the redevelopment project of Nakawa- Naguru estates and handed over the site to the contractor about three years. Mwesige is now the defence minister.

Tenants from the Nakawa-Naguru estates were evicted in July 2011, to pave way for its redevelopment.