Defence insists on Sudhir must pay sh21 for CMI land
Aug 20, 2008
Tycoon Sudhir Ruparelia might lose the 6.2 hectares of land on Kitante Road in Kampala if he does not pay sh21b as recommended by the Chief Government Valuer.
By Fortunate Ahimbisibwe
Tycoon Sudhir Ruparelia might lose the 6.2 hectares of land on Kitante Road in Kampala if he does not pay sh21b as recommended by the Chief Government Valuer.
A source at the Ministry of Defence yesterday said the land would be sold to another bidder if Sudhir does not pay the money by the end of December.
Defence state minister Ruth Nankabirwa, who chairs the committee handling the matter, yesterday said the ministry was still negotiating with Sudhir for him to pay more money for the land.
She said the Cabinet had decided that the land be sold by competitive bidding if Sudhir failed to pay, adding that the defence ministry would not vacate the land as demanded by the tycoon.
A source said there were other private developers interested in buying the land at sh21b.
The land, which currently houses the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI), was leased to Sudhir on October 31, 2006 to build a shopping mall and a five-star hotel.
He was also given the land title and was meant to relocate CMI headquarters at a cost of sh3b but he only paid sh168m.
A source said the land was given to Sudhir without the the Chief Government Valuer assessing the plot. “There was no consultations with other stakeholders,†the source said.
The acting Permanent Secretary of the defence ministry, Rosette Byengoma, told Parliament earlier this year that President Yoweri Museveni wanted Sudhir to pay sh21b if he wanted the land.
However, Sudhir maintains that the land is his because he has the title.
Tycoon Sudhir Ruparelia might lose the 6.2 hectares of land on Kitante Road in Kampala if he does not pay sh21b as recommended by the Chief Government Valuer.
A source at the Ministry of Defence yesterday said the land would be sold to another bidder if Sudhir does not pay the money by the end of December.
Defence state minister Ruth Nankabirwa, who chairs the committee handling the matter, yesterday said the ministry was still negotiating with Sudhir for him to pay more money for the land.
She said the Cabinet had decided that the land be sold by competitive bidding if Sudhir failed to pay, adding that the defence ministry would not vacate the land as demanded by the tycoon.
A source said there were other private developers interested in buying the land at sh21b.
The land, which currently houses the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI), was leased to Sudhir on October 31, 2006 to build a shopping mall and a five-star hotel.
He was also given the land title and was meant to relocate CMI headquarters at a cost of sh3b but he only paid sh168m.
A source said the land was given to Sudhir without the the Chief Government Valuer assessing the plot. “There was no consultations with other stakeholders,†the source said.
The acting Permanent Secretary of the defence ministry, Rosette Byengoma, told Parliament earlier this year that President Yoweri Museveni wanted Sudhir to pay sh21b if he wanted the land.
However, Sudhir maintains that the land is his because he has the title.