The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Amuru, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Residents of Pabbo Town Council in Amuru District are demanding for compensation for their property to pave way for the construction of an access road.
The access road that measures up to 30 meters will displace more than 20 households.
Pabbo Town Council approved plans to construct the road in the area in 2011. The authorities say anyone who bought land in the area without the involvement and approval of the authorities risks not being compensated.
However, the affected residents including landowners who bought their plots before 2011 have protested the move saying the Town Council has decided to commence work on the road without addressing their grievances.
Albert Oneka Luwira, 76, says he bought his plot in 2008 but says that the value of his land has appreciated over time but no valuation has yet taken place to ascertain the proper value of his only family land.
Lucy Ayot, a widow, says that the ongoing process by the authorities to demarcate their land for development has been unfair, malicious and fraudulent because pertinent queries about how they will be compensated remain unresolved.
Samuel Baker Anywar, another disgruntled resident affected by the road project explains that the Town Council authorities fraudulently planted mark stones on their land where the road has been pegged passes at night raising transparency issues.
Michael Lakony, the Amuru District LCV Chairperson and Geoffrey Osborn Oceng, the Resident District Commissioner said they have been engaging the aggrieved landowners and presented to them how the road plan will be implemented and the properties that qualify for compensation.
They said that only houses, graves and trees on the affected land will be compensated, adding that all approved plans for opening access roads in urban centres in Amuru must be displayed at the Local Council Offices for the public to view, consult and embrace to avoid future tensions.
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