We have the City Square title â€" KCC
Jan 04, 2010
Kampala authorities have dismissed claims by businessman Hassan Basajjabalaba that he is in possession of the land titles of Nakasero Market and Constitution Square.
By Florence Nakaayi
Kampala authorities have dismissed claims by businessman Hassan Basajjabalaba that he is in possession of the land titles of Nakasero Market and Constitution Square.
“We have the land title for the Constitution Square and it is still in KCC’s name,†said KCC spokesperson Herbert Ssemakula.
“The Constitution Square land title is safe. It is available for anyone who wants to see it.†On Nakasero Market, he said the title was submitted to Parliament during the probe and as far as they were concerned, Parliament was still keeping it.
“In any case, the city advocate is not aware that there was any transfer of ownership. So how could Basajjabalaba have gotten the title?†he asked.
Speaking in Bushenyi on December 30, Basajjabalaba said he had been in possession of the two titles for seven years and wanted sh100b in compensation to surrender them.
He told a public meeting that Kahinda Otafiire, the minister of lands at the time, assisted him to secure the market land title.
He said the Government had offered to pay him sh32b in compensation but he had turned it down, saying it was too little.
Basajjabalaba paid sh250m as premium for the Constitution Square (the former City Square) in 2001 with a plan to redevelop the square into a modern shopping mall.
However, the deal failed following protests from MPs and then local government minister Bidandi Ssali.
The mayor at the time, Ssebaana Kizito, said the money was refunded. But a source at KCC yesterday told The New Vision that part of the money was used to clear arrears Basajjabalaba owed KCC.
In 2007, Basajjabalaba, through his company Sheila Investments, also tried to acquire Nakasero Market, located in the centre of the city.
But the vendors violently opposed the lease, prompting President Museveni to intervene. The President directed that the market land be leased to the vendors who are the sitting tenants.
Basajjabalaba consequently dragged KCC to court over the issue and the legal dispute has never been resolved. The businessman only paid a first installment of sh400m of the sh1.7b lease for Nakasero Market.
Kampala authorities have dismissed claims by businessman Hassan Basajjabalaba that he is in possession of the land titles of Nakasero Market and Constitution Square.
“We have the land title for the Constitution Square and it is still in KCC’s name,†said KCC spokesperson Herbert Ssemakula.
“The Constitution Square land title is safe. It is available for anyone who wants to see it.†On Nakasero Market, he said the title was submitted to Parliament during the probe and as far as they were concerned, Parliament was still keeping it.
“In any case, the city advocate is not aware that there was any transfer of ownership. So how could Basajjabalaba have gotten the title?†he asked.
Speaking in Bushenyi on December 30, Basajjabalaba said he had been in possession of the two titles for seven years and wanted sh100b in compensation to surrender them.
He told a public meeting that Kahinda Otafiire, the minister of lands at the time, assisted him to secure the market land title.
He said the Government had offered to pay him sh32b in compensation but he had turned it down, saying it was too little.
Basajjabalaba paid sh250m as premium for the Constitution Square (the former City Square) in 2001 with a plan to redevelop the square into a modern shopping mall.
However, the deal failed following protests from MPs and then local government minister Bidandi Ssali.
The mayor at the time, Ssebaana Kizito, said the money was refunded. But a source at KCC yesterday told The New Vision that part of the money was used to clear arrears Basajjabalaba owed KCC.
In 2007, Basajjabalaba, through his company Sheila Investments, also tried to acquire Nakasero Market, located in the centre of the city.
But the vendors violently opposed the lease, prompting President Museveni to intervene. The President directed that the market land be leased to the vendors who are the sitting tenants.
Basajjabalaba consequently dragged KCC to court over the issue and the legal dispute has never been resolved. The businessman only paid a first installment of sh400m of the sh1.7b lease for Nakasero Market.