UNRA kicks Nalongo completely out of centenary park

Kampala, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda National Roads Authority- UNRA has taken over five acres of Centenary Park for construction of the second phase of Kampala Flyover Project.

Speaking to Uganda Radio Network-URN, Allan Ssempebwa Kyobe the Authority Spokesperson said that they have concluded land demarcation and shall soon start the procurement process.

This means that the Authority has added three more acres to the initial two that Nalongo Estates Company said it had surrendered for the project. Nalongo company was said to have entered a Memorandum of Understanding with KCCA to develop the land as a recreational and bridal park.

Last week at the Park, in an event attended by officials from Kampala Capital City Authority-KCCA, Nalongo Estates and UNRA, KCCA Executive Director Dorothy Kisaka handed over the site for construction to UNRA.

Kisaka didn’t specify the amount of land they were handing over but said that they had agreed amicably with Nalongo Sarah kizito of Nalongo estates adding that they were still in talks over the rest of the public land there. 

Nalongo Kizito on her side said they were handing over only two acres of land to KCCA to give UNRA to construct the fly over. According to government, there is over 4.7 acres of public land at Centenary Park.

But now, UNRA has now taken over five acres of land which Nalongo is opposed to. Nalongo says she was taken aback when UNRA conducted a demarcation exercise at the end of last week against her will covering five acres which way beyond what they had handed over.

Nalongo says resignedly that she had nothing to do about it. She vaguely told URN “this country has a law” before hanging up the call.

Nalongo contends that she entered a Memorandum of Understanding with KCCA to develop the land after their five year sub lease over the same land had expired. However, URN has learnt that the Understanding did not have endorsement from the attorney general.

The Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act and Regulations 2003, emphasizes the Constitutional requirement of the Attorney General’s approval before any document that binds any Ministry, Department, Agency or Local Government can be signed.

Ssempebwa says no private individual should frustrate a government project, more so on public land. He says the country would not only lose on money, time, and donors but also the benefits of such a project.

He says that they shall value the property on the land and compensate the owners before works start.

According to UNRA, constructions at the site shall start immediately after the first phase of the works is completed at Clock Tower. The first phase that started July 2019 is planned to last 32 months. The second phase which includes works construction in the area is planned to last 42 months.

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URN