School land wrongly leased-Land Commission
Aug 01, 2010
THE Uganda Land Commission (ULC) has asked the Kampala District Land Board not to renew the lease for Buganda Road Primary School playground, which was given to Jima Properties, saying the allocation was illegal.
By Darious Magara
THE Uganda Land Commission (ULC) has asked the Kampala District Land Board not to renew the lease for Buganda Road Primary School playground, which was given to Jima Properties, saying the allocation was illegal.
Jima is embroiled in a land row with the school after they were leased part of the playground on plot 19, Buganda road. The playground has been used for sports and other activities by the school which claims to own plots 17-27.
“You are informed that the lease already expired and therefore cannot be cancelled,†the July 15 letter signed by Sarah Basangwa, the acting commissioner for the land registration department of the lands ministry, reads in part.
The Jima director, Sulaiman Jingo, told The New Vision that they paid over sh300m for the land and were cleared to process a land title and that their lease had not expired.
“We first bought the land from Kampala City Council, which later said the land did not belong to them. We then had to pay ULC for the land.
“My company has the land title and nobody will stop us from developing it, otherwise we will seek redress in court so that we can access and develop our land,†Jingo said.
The letter follows clashes between a guard deployed at the field by the school and casual workers of Jima properties a week ago. Two graders that were being used to clear the field for construction works were blocked by angry residents recently.
The school’s head mistress, Beatrice Turyasingura, yesterday said they had received documents from the land commission that guarantee that the school land is secure.
The school authorities petitioned the Inspector General of Government and other government offices, complaining that Jima the Company is linked to City tycoon Muwanga Kibirige, who also owns Hotel Africana.
Turyasingura said the school was founded in the early 1930s by a Goawan family lead by Norman Gordino, who developed the land before handing it over to the Government.
She said they would continue using the playground to host sports and other school functions.
THE Uganda Land Commission (ULC) has asked the Kampala District Land Board not to renew the lease for Buganda Road Primary School playground, which was given to Jima Properties, saying the allocation was illegal.
Jima is embroiled in a land row with the school after they were leased part of the playground on plot 19, Buganda road. The playground has been used for sports and other activities by the school which claims to own plots 17-27.
“You are informed that the lease already expired and therefore cannot be cancelled,†the July 15 letter signed by Sarah Basangwa, the acting commissioner for the land registration department of the lands ministry, reads in part.
The Jima director, Sulaiman Jingo, told The New Vision that they paid over sh300m for the land and were cleared to process a land title and that their lease had not expired.
“We first bought the land from Kampala City Council, which later said the land did not belong to them. We then had to pay ULC for the land.
“My company has the land title and nobody will stop us from developing it, otherwise we will seek redress in court so that we can access and develop our land,†Jingo said.
The letter follows clashes between a guard deployed at the field by the school and casual workers of Jima properties a week ago. Two graders that were being used to clear the field for construction works were blocked by angry residents recently.
The school’s head mistress, Beatrice Turyasingura, yesterday said they had received documents from the land commission that guarantee that the school land is secure.
The school authorities petitioned the Inspector General of Government and other government offices, complaining that Jima the Company is linked to City tycoon Muwanga Kibirige, who also owns Hotel Africana.
Turyasingura said the school was founded in the early 1930s by a Goawan family lead by Norman Gordino, who developed the land before handing it over to the Government.
She said they would continue using the playground to host sports and other school functions.