Tender board chief pins KCC over land
Nov 09, 2005
KAMPALA City Council (KCC) has been by-passing the District Tender Board when procuring or selling land, the board chairman, George Waddimba, told investigators yesterday.
By Jude Etyang and Maurice Okore
KAMPALA City Council (KCC) has been by-passing the District Tender Board when procuring or selling land, the board chairman, George Waddimba, told investigators yesterday.
Waddimba said, “Our functions are not clear. Land has been leased and sold without the involvement of the tender board.â€
He was appearing before the commission of inquiry into illegal sale and lease of Kampala land at Mosa Courts in Kampala.
The commission is investigating illegal sale, leasing and purchasing of land by KCC. Other prominent cases named include the awarding of contract for redevelopment of Nakasero market to Shiela Investments, a company owned by city tycoon Hassan Bassajabalaba.
Waddimba told the commission headed by Professor James Katorobo that the tender board was toothless and that KCC’s decisions on the sale of land were final.
He cited a case in which the deputy town clerk, Kewaaza Muwonge, bought a KCC property at Windsor Crescent in Kololo without following the normal open bidding procedure.
“There was no provision for competition in the sale of this land. Our role in this case was to endorse the decision by council and there was only one buyer who was Muwonge.
“It’s not the normal procedure. We tried our best to shout, ask for answers but at the end of the day, we knew KCC had taken the decision,†he said.
Waddimba said they had only handled 10 transactions of selling or buying property since 2002. The commission asked him to produce documentation for the said transactions.
Earlier the chairman of Kampala Land Board, Yunus Kajubi Mpanga and board member Moses Lwanyaga said they had never seen a documented policy for land management in Kampala.
“We are not very sure whether there is a formulated policy on land in the city. We are going to consult on whether it exists but the board is always guided by technical people like the city planner and the city land valuer,†Lwanyaga said.
KAMPALA City Council (KCC) has been by-passing the District Tender Board when procuring or selling land, the board chairman, George Waddimba, told investigators yesterday.
Waddimba said, “Our functions are not clear. Land has been leased and sold without the involvement of the tender board.â€
He was appearing before the commission of inquiry into illegal sale and lease of Kampala land at Mosa Courts in Kampala.
The commission is investigating illegal sale, leasing and purchasing of land by KCC. Other prominent cases named include the awarding of contract for redevelopment of Nakasero market to Shiela Investments, a company owned by city tycoon Hassan Bassajabalaba.
Waddimba told the commission headed by Professor James Katorobo that the tender board was toothless and that KCC’s decisions on the sale of land were final.
He cited a case in which the deputy town clerk, Kewaaza Muwonge, bought a KCC property at Windsor Crescent in Kololo without following the normal open bidding procedure.
“There was no provision for competition in the sale of this land. Our role in this case was to endorse the decision by council and there was only one buyer who was Muwonge.
“It’s not the normal procedure. We tried our best to shout, ask for answers but at the end of the day, we knew KCC had taken the decision,†he said.
Waddimba said they had only handled 10 transactions of selling or buying property since 2002. The commission asked him to produce documentation for the said transactions.
Earlier the chairman of Kampala Land Board, Yunus Kajubi Mpanga and board member Moses Lwanyaga said they had never seen a documented policy for land management in Kampala.
“We are not very sure whether there is a formulated policy on land in the city. We are going to consult on whether it exists but the board is always guided by technical people like the city planner and the city land valuer,†Lwanyaga said.