Parliament is set to conduct another investigation into the controversial Naguru-Nakawa land after conducting a similar investigation into the same subject in the 10th Parliament.
The latest investigation was pronounced by Deputy Speaker, Anita Among during the plenary sitting where she announced a nine member ad hoc Committee that would investigate the matter that has bogged Kampala for over a decade.
“There is a petition in my office on the same issue of the fights that is happening in Ministry of Lands and as a house, I don’t think we should just go quiet on it and based on that, I am nominating an ad hoc Committee to go and look at what is happening in Nakawa and report to this house in two weeks time so that we put this thing to the end,” said Among.
The ad hoc Committee will be led by Dan Kimosho (Kazo County) and other members include; Aisha Kabanda (Butambala DWR), Asuman Basalirwa (Bugiri Municipality), Dickson Kateshumba (Sheema Municipality).
The other members included; Sarah Opendi (Tororo DWR), Rita Atukwasa (Mbarara City DWR) and Anthony Akol (Kilak South).
Deputy Speaker also made sure to reward her two close friends MPs Agnes Apea (DWR Amolatar) and Jonathan Ebwalu (Soroti West Division) by awarding them slots on the ad hoc Committee.
It should be recalled that in May 2021, Parliament’s Physical and Infrastructure Committee tabled before Parliament an investigation into the Nakawa-Naguru land after conducting months long investigation into the matter.
It should be recalled that on 15th October 2007, the Ministry of Local Government, signed a Public Private Partnership (PPP) Contract with Opecprime Properties for the redevelopment of Naguru/ Nakawa Housing estate into two Ultra-Modern Satellite Towns through the construction of modern, residential, commercial and institutional properties and premises.
The project entailed the construction of 1747 modern subsidized dedicated residential units for the purchase by and resettlement of the registered tenants of the Nakawa/ Naguru Housing Estate and the developer was meant to complete the project within 10years and if not, the land would revert back to government as it did.
In the first report, the Committee raised concern over the discrepancies in the list of beneficiaries submitted by Ministry of Local Government with the first list including 2,223 former sitting tenants and a second list having 1,971 tenants, speaking to ghosts to have hijacked the project.
The Committee also rejected the proposed compensation Government had earmarked for compensation to the former occupants after discovering that the Office of the President had requested for Shs40,562,906,617 for the Ministry of Kampala and Capital City Affairs to cater for the payment of the 1,971 sitting tenants.
According to the Committee, the Ministry of Kampala had earmarked to spend Shs35.078Bn as compensation to the 1,971 sitting tenants while the balance of Shs5.484Bn would cover administrative costs.
However, the Committee rejected the compensation rate noting that the proposed Shs17,797,079 for each former sitting tenant is not adequate considering that government had pledged to construct modern residential units for the tenants in Naguru.
The matter raised controversy recently when State Minister for Lands, Sam Mayanja came up with another list of beneficiaries including several institutions whose genesis remains a mystery.