Jinja frustrating investors, says minister
May 20, 2010
THE Jinja district land board and the town clerk, Francis Barabanawe, have been accused of failing to promote investment and frustrating investors.
By Doreen Musingo
THE Jinja district land board and the town clerk, Francis Barabanawe, have been accused of failing to promote investment and frustrating investors.
Vincent Nyanzi, the economic monitoring state minister, who was touring the district on Tuesady, also accused Mohammed Kezaala, the Jinja may, of working with the two authorities to fail investors.
“Some factory owners have informed me that the three offices asked for bribes before they give them land titles.â€
The minister added that those who want to set up new factories or expand the existing ones are asked to pay huge sums of money by the town clerk, land board and the mayor’s office to get land titles even when they have been cleared by the environment watchdog, NEMA.
The minister said asking for bribes from investors to get land titles started with the last town clerk, David Bashakara.
“The new town clerk instead of helping investors has continued with the same bad practices,†Nyanzi said, adding that some investors feared reporting the matter to Police for fear of losing their land.
However, mayor Kezaala said it is not his role or the town clerk’s to allocate land in the municipality.
He pointed out that the problem was because most investors do not understand how the land system in the country operates.
“The role of the mayor and town clerk is to identify free and dormant land, which is then approved by the lands ministry to be given out by the district land board.
“These investors should direct their accusations to the land board,†he advised.
Nyanzi encouraged local authorities to give free land to investors to boost development in their districts.
THE Jinja district land board and the town clerk, Francis Barabanawe, have been accused of failing to promote investment and frustrating investors.
Vincent Nyanzi, the economic monitoring state minister, who was touring the district on Tuesady, also accused Mohammed Kezaala, the Jinja may, of working with the two authorities to fail investors.
“Some factory owners have informed me that the three offices asked for bribes before they give them land titles.â€
The minister added that those who want to set up new factories or expand the existing ones are asked to pay huge sums of money by the town clerk, land board and the mayor’s office to get land titles even when they have been cleared by the environment watchdog, NEMA.
The minister said asking for bribes from investors to get land titles started with the last town clerk, David Bashakara.
“The new town clerk instead of helping investors has continued with the same bad practices,†Nyanzi said, adding that some investors feared reporting the matter to Police for fear of losing their land.
However, mayor Kezaala said it is not his role or the town clerk’s to allocate land in the municipality.
He pointed out that the problem was because most investors do not understand how the land system in the country operates.
“The role of the mayor and town clerk is to identify free and dormant land, which is then approved by the lands ministry to be given out by the district land board.
“These investors should direct their accusations to the land board,†he advised.
Nyanzi encouraged local authorities to give free land to investors to boost development in their districts.