KCC takes over Lugogo complex
Sep 20, 2005
KAMPALA City Council (KCC) has taken over land where Lugogo sports complex is, comprising several plots.
By Norman Katende
KAMPALA City Council (KCC) has taken over land where Lugogo sports complex is, comprising several plots.
The newly-revived Uganda Sports Union (USU) has threatened to sue the National Council of Sports (NCS) for trespass and illegal possession of the property.
KCC re-took the land purportedly from the original lessees, USU, on August 18, under instrument 357316. The USU ceased to exist in 1972 when Idi Amin expelled Asians from Uganda.
USU included seven sports associations of cricket, hockey, football, badminton, boxing, athletics, rugby and the then Kampala Municipal Council, a sports developer.
The expelled Asians and Europeans made the bulk of the USU.
USU was replaced by the National Council of Sports (NCS) to oversee sports development. It also took over all USU assets.
The sports ministry permanent secretary, Opika Opoka, in a letter to the NCS on July 3, 1996, said, “By the Act of Parliament, you (NCS) were mandated to take over all works of the defunct USU, including its property.â€
The Government did not transfer the property from USU to NCS.
The eight-acre land includes plots 61, 63 and 65 at Upper Kololo Terrace and Plot 15 on Sir Hesketh Bell Road. Plot 15 houses the Lugogo Indoor Stadium, Lugogo sports administration office and Club House, the cricket oval, four tennis courts and a tennis club, a sports guest house, a two-floor sports hostel, a hockey pitch, administrative offices for about five sports federations and a car park.
The Kampala District Land Board applied for re-entry to the commissioner for land registration on December 21, 2004, in a letter signed by the board’s chairperson, Younus B. K. Mpagi.
The application was, however, submitted seven months later, on August 18, 2005, and immediately approved.
“The Kampala District Land Board hereby applies under S.114 of the registration of Titles Act that you do note a re-entry in respect of the above described land. The said land was re-entered in strict conformity with the provisions of re-entry as detailed in an annexed statutory declaration of the chairperson of Kampala land board,†the application said.
Mpagi made a declaration at the Commissioner for Oaths on December 21, 2004, stating that the lessees had breached the terms of the agreement by failing to construct a car park on the land since July 1957 when the lease was executed. The oath stated that a notice of the intended re-entry was sent on September 29, 2004, but the lessees had not remedied the breaches.
Surprisingly, despite the re-entry, a company, Joka Investments, demanded property rates for KCC on November 11, 2004.
The demand note for sh1.22m for a period of 2004/2005 was sent two months after the intended re-entry. KCC gave the lessees 14 days to pay. Sh1,215,827 was paid on June 6, 2005 by cheque 231633 of Bank of Baroda.
As KCC was re-entering the land, NCS revived USU threatened to sue NCS for trespass. The notice was filed by Nyanzi, Kiboneka and Mbabazi Advocates.
USU was revived in 2002 by sports associations. Its board included David Agong, James Ssekajugo, Rajin Taylor, Paul Sigombe, Danlee Mulindwa and the late Gideon Karyoko.
However, some members deny knowledge of the court action against the NCS.
Ends
KAMPALA City Council (KCC) has taken over land where Lugogo sports complex is, comprising several plots.
The newly-revived Uganda Sports Union (USU) has threatened to sue the National Council of Sports (NCS) for trespass and illegal possession of the property.
KCC re-took the land purportedly from the original lessees, USU, on August 18, under instrument 357316. The USU ceased to exist in 1972 when Idi Amin expelled Asians from Uganda.
USU included seven sports associations of cricket, hockey, football, badminton, boxing, athletics, rugby and the then Kampala Municipal Council, a sports developer.
The expelled Asians and Europeans made the bulk of the USU.
USU was replaced by the National Council of Sports (NCS) to oversee sports development. It also took over all USU assets.
The sports ministry permanent secretary, Opika Opoka, in a letter to the NCS on July 3, 1996, said, “By the Act of Parliament, you (NCS) were mandated to take over all works of the defunct USU, including its property.â€
The Government did not transfer the property from USU to NCS.
The eight-acre land includes plots 61, 63 and 65 at Upper Kololo Terrace and Plot 15 on Sir Hesketh Bell Road. Plot 15 houses the Lugogo Indoor Stadium, Lugogo sports administration office and Club House, the cricket oval, four tennis courts and a tennis club, a sports guest house, a two-floor sports hostel, a hockey pitch, administrative offices for about five sports federations and a car park.
The Kampala District Land Board applied for re-entry to the commissioner for land registration on December 21, 2004, in a letter signed by the board’s chairperson, Younus B. K. Mpagi.
The application was, however, submitted seven months later, on August 18, 2005, and immediately approved.
“The Kampala District Land Board hereby applies under S.114 of the registration of Titles Act that you do note a re-entry in respect of the above described land. The said land was re-entered in strict conformity with the provisions of re-entry as detailed in an annexed statutory declaration of the chairperson of Kampala land board,†the application said.
Mpagi made a declaration at the Commissioner for Oaths on December 21, 2004, stating that the lessees had breached the terms of the agreement by failing to construct a car park on the land since July 1957 when the lease was executed. The oath stated that a notice of the intended re-entry was sent on September 29, 2004, but the lessees had not remedied the breaches.
Surprisingly, despite the re-entry, a company, Joka Investments, demanded property rates for KCC on November 11, 2004.
The demand note for sh1.22m for a period of 2004/2005 was sent two months after the intended re-entry. KCC gave the lessees 14 days to pay. Sh1,215,827 was paid on June 6, 2005 by cheque 231633 of Bank of Baroda.
As KCC was re-entering the land, NCS revived USU threatened to sue NCS for trespass. The notice was filed by Nyanzi, Kiboneka and Mbabazi Advocates.
USU was revived in 2002 by sports associations. Its board included David Agong, James Ssekajugo, Rajin Taylor, Paul Sigombe, Danlee Mulindwa and the late Gideon Karyoko.
However, some members deny knowledge of the court action against the NCS.
Ends