70 Bukasa-Kirinya claimants verified by court

About 70 residents of Bukasa-Kirinya in Wakiso District have been verified by the High Court in Kampala following a  land compensation verification exercise that was ordered by Justice  Magret Oguli-Oumo, last friday.

The exercise aimed at helping court deal with a sizeable number of people  who have  valid claims against the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) and the Attorney General of Government, started Monday morning before the court’s deputy registrar Alex Ajiji.

Commencement of civil works on many government projects has been delayed by the land acquisition process as the area is heavily encroached by illegal occupants some of whom were erroneously issued with certificates of titles and now claiming hefty sums of money in compensation before giving vacant possession.

Government is in advanced stages of commencing construction of the Malaba-Kampala Standard Gauge Railway, Kampala-Jinja express Highway, Bukasa Inland Port and the Namanve-Luzira Power line.

The corridors of these projects and the land covered by these projects areas is already surveyed and gazzetted. In Kampala, the projects all converge with interchanges and crossings in the areas of Bukasa, Namanve and Butabika-Luzira.

According to their lawyer Musa Kabega  the exercise has now been adjourned to continue on Tuesday, March 28.

The documents to be verified are a valid National Identification Card, accompanied by an  LC letter, then proof of ownership of property and each claimant should be in position to tell court what kind of development they have on the said land.

Last year over a thousand residents from Bukasa-Kirinya in Wakiso District, dragged  NEMA to court  accusing it of illegally evicting them from their land  without compensation or an alternative place to  settle.

Court has since issued an interim order halting the said eviction until  the  case  is determined.

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editor@independent.co.ug