MPs summon land commission over sale of railway land

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Members of Parliament have summoned the Uganda Land Commission (ULC) over the sale of Nsambya and Port Bell land belonging to Uganda Railways Corporation.

The Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterpsrise (COSASE) chaired by Nakawa West MP Joel Ssenyonyi was on Thursday meeting with officials from URC over the management of their assets including land all over the country.

Sarah Nambasa, the URC secretary was tasked to explain how 57 acres of land were given to 10 investors including Janet Kobusingye, the owner of Mestil Hotel, Charles Kimera, Islamic University, House of Dawda, CTM Uganda Limited, Access Uganda Limited and Yas Company.

The others are;  Alumus Properties, M/S Fairplay Services limited and Kampala International University among others in 2010. The land that stretches from Mukwano factory up to Mestil Hotel was allocated to investors in compensation of those who had been erroneously allocated the Naguru-Nakawa Estate land.

The committee noted that the URC did not follow the procurement process but followed a Presidential directive and cabinet decision that land is given to these investors.

However, the committee was shocked to learn that 10 years later, URC has never been paid 69.5 billion shillings for the 57 acres.

According to Stanley Sendegeya, the managing director of URC, although they gave out the land to ULC, they have not been paid.

Nambasa told the committee that they cannot explain the sale of the land, adding that the privatisation unit is best to answer. She said they transferred the land to Uganda Land Commission which made the allocations.

She also told the committee regarding the Port bell land where the ships dock, that the land was mortgaged, and they are in court trying to recover it from the National Housing.

Ssenyonyi says that they are concerned with the criteria used to select the beneficiaries of the Nsambya land and how National Housing took charge of Port Bell land. They have summoned the Uganda Land Commission and the Privatization Unit and the 10 landowners who occupy the land in Nsambya and Portbell.

The URC officials also implicated businessman Patrick Bitature in the illegal acquisition of land. Bitature reportedly used his company Simba Properties to obtain two illegal leases which are in the process of being cancelled.

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URN