Bunyoro oil road victims to get extra pay

By John Semakula

The Government is reviewing the earlier compensation to people affected by the planned construction of the Hoima- Kaiso-Tonya road that leads to the oil fields.

After the review, residents who will be found to have been paid less will be given more money, Dan Alinange, the spokesperson of the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA), said.

Alinange was reacting to complaints by residents that the amount paid to them was not commensurate with the value of their land and property. Some people said they were paid as little as sh40,000 for big chunks of land that could have fetched them millions.

However, documents seen by Saturday Vision showed that none of the residents received sh40,000. According to the list, the lowest paid person got over sh200,000. Many others received between sh1m and sh20m.

Alinange said: “Since the discovery of oil, many rich people have been buying land in Bunyoro and paying much more for it than what the Government paid in compensating the residents, making them feel cheated.”

He added that others were expecting bigger payments from the oil dollars.

Alinange also assured the residents that compensation would continue until after the construction of the road.

“The heavy machinery used in construction may destroy houses, which means we shall go ahead and compensate the owners,” he added.