Naguru-Nakawa tenants want 50 acres of housing estate land

After eight years of waiting for compensation since they were evicted from the Naguru-Nakawa housing estate, affected tenants are now asking the government to consider allocating them at least 50 acres out of the 162 acres that they previously occupied.

They say that if the land is given to them, they will find a credible real estate developer of their own choice to build them affordable housing units to resettle the evicted persons and save them the anguish of waiting on government's protracted compensation process.

"If government finds it expensive to compensate us, we are requesting that it identifies 50 acres of land at Naguru-Nakawa out of the 162 acres and dedicate it to the registered tenants so that we can find a developer of our own choice," Simon Barigo the chairperson of Naguru-Nakawa Estates Redevelopment Association told the media on Monday.

Barigo explained that since most of the land has already been parcelled out to other private developers, 50 acres will be adequate for the affected tenants that have not gotten their compensation since they were evicted.

He pointed out that developments such as Aga Khan University Hospital, Kampala Capital City Authority division offices, Capital Shoppers Supermarket and a school for the disabled, have swallowed a huge chunk of the land that housed the demolished housing estate.

In 2007, the government entered a public-private agreement with OPEC Prime Properties Ltd, to turn the Naguru-Nakawa housing estate into a satellite city.

Although OPEC was to commence works six months after signing the memorandum of understanding, by 2011, the process had stalled with the developer asking government to forcefully evict over 30,000 settlers who they blamed for causing the delay.

The developer was meant to construct 1747 housing flats that would be rented out at subsidised costs, with priority going to the registered tenants, but to date, not a single structure has been erected.

Barigo also claimed that due to pressure mounted on the government to ensure that the victims are resettled, cabinet last year resolved that the tenants would instead be compensated with cash but this is yet to materialize.

"It is tricky that the units were never constructed, the compensation is not forthcoming yet we are aware that OPEC has already sold out 82 sub-titles to private individuals. We are therefore asking government that private selling of land at Naguru estate should be halted and that so far sold should be revoked," said Barigo.

Winnie Nandudu, the secretary of the tenants association and Naguru 1 councillor, said in the event that the government does not come out to either kick start the process of enforcing the compensation process or allocate to them the 50 acres of land in the coming weeks, they are considering re-occupying the two former estates.

The Nakawa Division MP, Michael Kabaziguruka, said he is going to move a motion in Parliament for a select committee to carry out a forensic investigation into the circumstances surrounding the redevelopment plan and the credibility of OPEC.