Iguru guards block sewer project
Jul 17, 2007
WORKERS of the Dott Services contracted to construct a sewer in Hoima town on Monday fled in disarray when Omukama Iguru’s UPDF royal guards raided the area, forcing them to abandon work.
By Fred Kayizzi
WORKERS of the Dott Services contracted to construct a sewer in Hoima town on Monday fled in disarray when Omukama Iguru’s UPDF royal guards raided the area, forcing them to abandon work.
Pandemonium reigned when the royal guards invaded site located at a lagoon in Kiganda zone, the centre of a long-standing dispute between the Omukama and the Hoima town council.
Whereas the Kingdom describes the site as part of the Omukama’s estate of 632 acres, Hoima town mayor Francis Atugonza contends that the land belongs to the town council, which has a legally acquired title deed.
Sources at Kiganda said all the workers, including their site supervisors and the Securiko guards, fled in disarray abandoning property when Iguru’s armed guards stormed the site.
The incident followed a court order stopping the project after a petition filed by the Omukama at the Masindi Chief Magistrate’s Court complaining about the alleged trespass on the disputed piece of land.
The Omukama’s principal private secretary, Yolamu Nsamba, said Iguru described the construction works as an act of insubordination and disrespect from both town council authorities and the Dott services company.
“The trespassers just started excavating trenches and destroying the Omukama’s trees without seeking any permission. And on top of that, how do they establish a sewer of all things next to the Omukama’s house without his consent? This is insubordination and disrespect of the highest degree,†Nsamba said.
He said the UPDF royal guards “erred in intervening in the dispute because it’s not part of their work. They are not supposed to interfere with government projects.â€
Hoima town clerk Alfred Kiiza said the cesspool was part of an sh8b water and sanitation project for mid-western towns, which is to cover Mubende, Masindi and Hoima towns.
He said that the project, funded by the World Bank and the European Union in for all the three towns, will provide them with a modern piped water system, a sewerage system and flush toilets.
WORKERS of the Dott Services contracted to construct a sewer in Hoima town on Monday fled in disarray when Omukama Iguru’s UPDF royal guards raided the area, forcing them to abandon work.
Pandemonium reigned when the royal guards invaded site located at a lagoon in Kiganda zone, the centre of a long-standing dispute between the Omukama and the Hoima town council.
Whereas the Kingdom describes the site as part of the Omukama’s estate of 632 acres, Hoima town mayor Francis Atugonza contends that the land belongs to the town council, which has a legally acquired title deed.
Sources at Kiganda said all the workers, including their site supervisors and the Securiko guards, fled in disarray abandoning property when Iguru’s armed guards stormed the site.
The incident followed a court order stopping the project after a petition filed by the Omukama at the Masindi Chief Magistrate’s Court complaining about the alleged trespass on the disputed piece of land.
The Omukama’s principal private secretary, Yolamu Nsamba, said Iguru described the construction works as an act of insubordination and disrespect from both town council authorities and the Dott services company.
“The trespassers just started excavating trenches and destroying the Omukama’s trees without seeking any permission. And on top of that, how do they establish a sewer of all things next to the Omukama’s house without his consent? This is insubordination and disrespect of the highest degree,†Nsamba said.
He said the UPDF royal guards “erred in intervening in the dispute because it’s not part of their work. They are not supposed to interfere with government projects.â€
Hoima town clerk Alfred Kiiza said the cesspool was part of an sh8b water and sanitation project for mid-western towns, which is to cover Mubende, Masindi and Hoima towns.
He said that the project, funded by the World Bank and the European Union in for all the three towns, will provide them with a modern piped water system, a sewerage system and flush toilets.