Museveni orders AG to pay back Kisekka Market investor
Dec 16, 2008
PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has directed that Rhino Investments, which had secured a 49-year lease to develop Kiseka Market should vacate the market.
By Madinah Tebajjukira
PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has directed that Rhino Investments, which had secured a 49-year lease to develop Kiseka Market should vacate the market.
“Evaluate and compensate the developer who had been leased the market by Kampala City Council. Develop guidelines if they are not in existence on the management and development of the markets,†Museveni said.
The directive is contained a November 10 letter to the Attorney General and minister of justice and constitutional affairs, Khiddu Makubuya.
The President also directed Makubuya to liaise with the local government ministry, KCC, the resident district commissioner to harmonise operations of the vendors associations.
The letter was copied to the Prime Minister, Apollo Nsibambi, the local government Minister, Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire, and all MPs from Kampala district.
The President asked Makubuya to help the vendors form one legal entity to undertake the management and development of the market.
In February, the vendors went on a two-day strike which paralysed business in Kampala after they discovered that KCC had leased the market to Rhino, which is owned by Col. John Mugyenyi.
They demanded to be given first priority, saying the termination of the lease was the only way to resolve the conflict.
But Mugyenyi said he followed the right procedure to acquire the market.
He argued that both KCC and the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority approved the lease.
Museveni noted that the practice of selling markets, where thousands of urban poor people earn a living, to private individual was bad and would create urban serfdom.
“The practice is against the NRM principle of empowering people and has caused a lot of unnecessary anxiety and chaos in the city,†Museveni observed.
Kampala Central MP Erias Lukwago commended the President for what he called ‘a wise directive’.
Lukwago warned against giving excess money to Rhino in compensation, saying that they got the lease through wrong channels.
“Mugyenyi should only be refunded the money he used to secure the lease because the transaction was not transparent,†Lukwago said.
“ Otherwise, he should not be compensated since he had not carried out any development on the land,†the MP said.
PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has directed that Rhino Investments, which had secured a 49-year lease to develop Kiseka Market should vacate the market.
“Evaluate and compensate the developer who had been leased the market by Kampala City Council. Develop guidelines if they are not in existence on the management and development of the markets,†Museveni said.
The directive is contained a November 10 letter to the Attorney General and minister of justice and constitutional affairs, Khiddu Makubuya.
The President also directed Makubuya to liaise with the local government ministry, KCC, the resident district commissioner to harmonise operations of the vendors associations.
The letter was copied to the Prime Minister, Apollo Nsibambi, the local government Minister, Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire, and all MPs from Kampala district.
The President asked Makubuya to help the vendors form one legal entity to undertake the management and development of the market.
In February, the vendors went on a two-day strike which paralysed business in Kampala after they discovered that KCC had leased the market to Rhino, which is owned by Col. John Mugyenyi.
They demanded to be given first priority, saying the termination of the lease was the only way to resolve the conflict.
But Mugyenyi said he followed the right procedure to acquire the market.
He argued that both KCC and the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority approved the lease.
Museveni noted that the practice of selling markets, where thousands of urban poor people earn a living, to private individual was bad and would create urban serfdom.
“The practice is against the NRM principle of empowering people and has caused a lot of unnecessary anxiety and chaos in the city,†Museveni observed.
Kampala Central MP Erias Lukwago commended the President for what he called ‘a wise directive’.
Lukwago warned against giving excess money to Rhino in compensation, saying that they got the lease through wrong channels.
“Mugyenyi should only be refunded the money he used to secure the lease because the transaction was not transparent,†Lukwago said.
“ Otherwise, he should not be compensated since he had not carried out any development on the land,†the MP said.