Katanga hostels face demolition
Jul 04, 2005
THREE hostels in Katanga, a Kampala suburb, face demolition.
By Catherine Ntabadde
THREE hostels in Katanga, a Kampala suburb, face demolition.
The hostels that house mainly the nearby Makerere University students, are among 111 buildings illegally constructed on Kampala’s main sewer lines.
The hostels were constructed illegally in Kimwanyi zone (Katanga) in Wandegeya, a committee set up by state minister for health Capt. Mike Mukula has discovered.
The committee, headed by Charles Kyamanywa, the Chief Town Planner, said all houses in the area did not have Kampala City Council (KCC) approval. It recommended the demolition of the structures on the sewer lines so the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) can install new sewer lines.
It said Taibah, Akamwesi and Sherif hostels’ extensions were on sewer lines and that they were built illegally. KCC did not approve the extensions, Kyamanywa said.
Mukula set up the committee following a cholera outbreak in Katanga.
Katanga, one of Kampala’s largest slums, has about 7,000 residents. Sanitation and access to safe water remain a major problem in the slum where none of the residents has a toilet.
There are three public latrines and 10 water taps. To access the public latrines, one has to pay sh100. Children are not charged. LC1 chairman Hassan Wasswa yesterday said a meeting was held with the residents who demanded compensation.
“We are waiting for the minister for the way forward. These people do not have plans but they want compensation. We cannot object to the compensation,†he said.
Kampala resident district commissioner Dr. Stanley Kinyatta, a member of the committee, yesterday said, “Where will the Government get all that money?â€
NWSC’s technical operations chief Dan Kyobe said new lines could not be installed before the houses are demolished.
“This is a serious problem and a national issue. Politics must be put aside if we are to save people.â€
THREE hostels in Katanga, a Kampala suburb, face demolition.
The hostels that house mainly the nearby Makerere University students, are among 111 buildings illegally constructed on Kampala’s main sewer lines.
The hostels were constructed illegally in Kimwanyi zone (Katanga) in Wandegeya, a committee set up by state minister for health Capt. Mike Mukula has discovered.
The committee, headed by Charles Kyamanywa, the Chief Town Planner, said all houses in the area did not have Kampala City Council (KCC) approval. It recommended the demolition of the structures on the sewer lines so the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) can install new sewer lines.
It said Taibah, Akamwesi and Sherif hostels’ extensions were on sewer lines and that they were built illegally. KCC did not approve the extensions, Kyamanywa said.
Mukula set up the committee following a cholera outbreak in Katanga.
Katanga, one of Kampala’s largest slums, has about 7,000 residents. Sanitation and access to safe water remain a major problem in the slum where none of the residents has a toilet.
There are three public latrines and 10 water taps. To access the public latrines, one has to pay sh100. Children are not charged. LC1 chairman Hassan Wasswa yesterday said a meeting was held with the residents who demanded compensation.
“We are waiting for the minister for the way forward. These people do not have plans but they want compensation. We cannot object to the compensation,†he said.
Kampala resident district commissioner Dr. Stanley Kinyatta, a member of the committee, yesterday said, “Where will the Government get all that money?â€
NWSC’s technical operations chief Dan Kyobe said new lines could not be installed before the houses are demolished.
“This is a serious problem and a national issue. Politics must be put aside if we are to save people.â€